Life After Death: Book 3, The Carpenter Blueprints
by Thomas A
Summary: In the days immediately following Changes - likely spoilers for pretty much everything published so far.  As always, everything is the property of Mr. Jim Butcher.  I merely play out on the fringes of his world. Reviews, as always, are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 1_**

Harry Dresden is dead.

Yeah that was the unofficial word circulating on the street. It was not the official word because Harry Dresden's body had never been found. What led officials at the police department to this belief though were the two high powered rifle bullets imbedded in the side of a boat bearing the name of Water Beetle that Harry had been temporarily living on and a rather large and almost certainly lethal quantity of blood in a trail from where the bullets were found to the side of the ship.

This combination of circumstantial evidence was enough for the City of Chicago's medical examiner to state that it was unlikely the individual wounded by the gunshots could have survived without immediate medical attention. Because none of the city's hospitals had any record of a victim matching these types of wounds described and the blood trail that ended at the waterside railing of the ship, allowed for the generally assumption that the victim had fallen into the lake and sank. Like the Gordon Lightfoot song said about bodies in the Great Lakes… The lake it is said never gives up its dead… But since no body had been found as of yet no official word on Harry Dresden's death had been made by the city.

Police divers had gone into the water around the Water Beetle looking for a body but they had not been able to find one both due to the murkiness and the piles of trash that littered the bottom. The lack of a corpse was not particularly rare in Lake Michigan as the underwater currents in some places could become as dangerous as rip tides and carry things like a body deep out into the murky depths where they would never be found. In Al Capone's day most mob hits were left as public statements, but occasionally when one of his hitters had to make someone like a Treasury agent disappear without a trace the lake served admirably for this purpose. This can also be attested to by the complete disappearance of crews of the numerous ships and planes that had been lost over these same bodies of waters as well; those were nearly twice the number to mysterious vanish without a trace than in the more highly publicized Bermuda Triangle in fact.

The divers had recovered Harry Dresden's leather duster coat and this had been placed into evidence. The coat had seen a lot of damage in its time and was stained in more than one place with the same blood type recovered from the deck of the boat. It had not, however, shown any signs of bullet holes in the areas of the upper chest where forensics had said the shots had most likely entered though based upon the blood splatter. On the front of the jacket that was not particularly curious as Harry did not always button the coat up but since there had been no exit holes on the back of the coat as well and since the rounds had been found in the cabin side it meant there was no way Harry Dresden had been wearing the coat when he had taken the rounds to his body. It was therefore assumed that he had either been holding onto it or had dumped it over the side for some unknown reason.

Had the police kept this story to themselves then the problems in Chicago's magical world would likely not have begun to immediately spin out of control. Unfortunately in the previous days leading up to his supposed death the building where Harry Dresden kept his office had literally blown up and a rather loose lipped detective on the Chicago PD who was working with the FBI let it slip to the press that the same building occupant was being looked at for terrorist related activities. The FBI put a quick quash on that comment since they had faced slander charges before, but a story that juicy was too much for the papers to sit on, especially when a day or so later the same potential suspect's apartment building was burned to the ground by what the fire marshal declared was arson. Rumors had it that he was also present at another key location when what has been described as a terrorist attack on the FBI federal building occurred as well.

So it was totally understandable that when the police learned the likely victim on the Water Beetle was in fact the same Harry Dresden as all three of these events but that no body had been found was just too juicy of a story for one of the uniform officers with a wife and kids bringing down only forty two thousand a year before taxes not to share with certain members of the press who were known to pay well for this type of information. And that was saying nothing of those others in Chicago with less altruistic First Amendment protected rights who liked to know everything that was going on in the city that they lived in and liked to call their own.

The papers and local news had run the story but surprisingly, had done so on the back pages as filler and even then had not mentioned Harry Dresden by name. In the modern world where scooping the opposition was the only way to get ahead in this business that detail being left out of all the stories and not even hinted at was incredibly odd. It was so odd in fact as to be completely impossibly without someone of significant power coming down on all these institutions and making them play ball.

Only three groups wielded that kind of power in Chicago. The first was the federal government who, since 9-11 tried to inspire this level of support from the media either through appealing to reason or through the application of outright intimidation. Oddly enough this was the least likely group to succeed because as juicy a story that possible terrorism was, the government trying to cover up such a story was even better yet, to the point that editors and media outlet owners started dreaming about the Pulitzer Prize. So the chance that not a single one of the papers or television news officer would challenge this media censorship by the federal government and let the story out under those conditions seemed farfetched.

The second group with that kind of power was the city mayor's office. Historically the mayor of Chicago had wielded such power and influence that even President Kennedy while he was immersed in the potential for nuclear war with the Soviets during the middle of the Cuba Missile Crisis had not dared cancel a fundraising event planned with the mayor of Chicago at that time. It is important to note that this was the very individual some conspiracy theorists believed had rigged the election in Illinois with just enough votes to allow the young Senator to become the next President as well.

But the modern mayor's office exercised only a mere shadow of the power and influence the office held in those early days of the sixties. They still could bring the axe down on specific people when it was called for, but there were too many right-wing outlets now that loved exposing this type of gangster style corruption when done by the left so again it was unlikely the Chicago mayor's office had been the ones behind relegating the story to the back pages and relative obscurity.

That left the most likely subject of this odd event a certain notorious local figure by the name of Gentleman John Marcone. Johnny Marcone is to Chicago crime what Coke is to soft drinks, yeah there were others out there but everyone knew who owned the lion's share of the business. Those willing to speak of him, and they were relatively few and likely allowed to do so with his permission only, compared Marcone to Al Capone, only Marcone was far smarter, more well liked and respected by those who had business with him, more feared by those whose business turned sour, and far more ruthless it correcting sour businesses than any of Chicago's colorful history of former mob bosses.

If Marcone had decided that Harry Dresden's possible death should not be reported in the press, it was a fair certainty that this request would be honored by those whom he had made that request to. It was one thing for a managing editor to stare down the feds knowing he was backed up by a bevy of high priced lawyers and a Constitutional challenge in the courts that would bring even more press coverage. It was a totally different thing to face down the barrel of the gun that Marcone would send instead. The bevy of lawyers never seemed to want to step in front of those and it is likely the results would also end up barely reported on the back pages as well. There was no profit motive in crossing Gentleman Johnny Marcone.

But while Marcone could keep a lid on such things in order for them to avoid the mainstream, even the most ruthless killer could not keep everyone in a city of nearly four million from speculating in private. Johnny Marcone controlled Chicago's underworld, but its equally shadowy mystical world was another story all together. And in the places where these two worlds crossed, where those with mystical talent used it for crime, where things that would be better left living in dark holes they spent their days came up for air, or where those without magical talent went seeking those with for dark purposes, the word that Harry Dresden was likely dead had spread like wildfire in late summer as lesser powers jockeyed for position in this new reality.

See now that just was depressing to me. I, Harry Dresden, had spent the past ten years of my life keeping the mystical world in Chicago fairly well under control. I had a few challenges along the way of course, but nothing that a reanimated tyrannosaurus rex named Sue had been able to deal effectively with. I also had a bevy of local talent, a pack of werewolves and a resident Knight of the Cross to name the most prominent, who assisted me to reach this goal. And truth be told in the last few years especially, it had not been local trouble makers who I had been dealing with when trouble appeared in Chicago but rather some out of towners who had decided to set up temporary shop until I convinced them otherwise that this was a bad idea.

Inadvertently I Harry Dresden had become to the mystical world around Chicago what Batman was to Gotham City; its defender against the darkness and the crazies that seemed to think they should be allowed to play free. Unfortunately like a bad comic book, now someone had inadvertently sent the word out that Batman was dead so now all the same crazies in Arkham Asylum who normally were too afraid to show their faces thought it was instead the perfect time to party. I'm not sure just how Batman would handle this type of situation but for a wizard named Harry Dresden it meant I had to let the word get out fast that I was not in fact dead and that the situation had not changed. And since Marcone seemed predisposed toward that line of thinking as far as I could tell for whatever reason, I figured that by getting to him to get the word out that I was alive was the most effective means at my disposal. I could then concentrate on the ones and twos who had not gotten the message. This was a much more efficient way then rebuilding my powerbase from scratch.

Tracking Marcone down is never a simple affair as the man has dozens of businesses, each with his own personal office, spread out throughout the city. Also, while I wanted him to get the word out on the street that Harry Dresden was indeed alive, I also had this nagging issue of not knowing who it was that had tried to kill Chicago's resident wizard with a high powered rifle a week or so ago. Until I knew that little detail and had dealt with this person directly, the fewer people who knew where I could be found and what I was doing the better it would be for everyone involved, especially my friends who might find themselves the next target to draw me out.

The added complication to tracking down Malone was that I was without my own form of private transportation at the moment. My loyal car of decades, the Blue Beetle which had not really been blue for a very long time, was now a piece of crushed scrap metal thanks to a rather disagreeable hunting demon-like thing from the Mayan culture that the Red Court of vampires had sent after me. I could not rent a car to replace it for two important reasons. One I did not have a credit card as the damn magnetic strips always shorted out on me and since 9-11 no one liked to rent cars on a strictly cash basis. And two modern cars lasted less than a day usually if I had to drive them and that is all most car rental agencies kept on hand.

Thankfully my lovely, perky, and all around wonderful apprentice Molly Carpenter had a sixties Mustang that she had been driving for the past few years. She was currently a listed patient at the Cook County hospital for a gunshot wound to the upper leg that had just missed her major artery which thankfully allowed her to survive the experience and continue as my apprentice; well if it weren't for my reported death that is.

The White Court of vampires, of which my brother Thomas is a rather important member, had been responsible not only for her timely rescue to local medical facilities aboard a ship in the Gulf of Mexico, but also her eventual transfer to Chicago in order to be near her family while she healed. The Court was also picking up the hospital bills, which were not negligible in size unless you had a family fortune built upon lifetimes of immortals with the ability to seduce people out of not only their clothes but their riches as well, as a personal favor done for the apprentice of a deceased wizard and occasional ally. As luck would have it I happened to know just where Molly kept her hide a key under her car so my problem with transportation was lessened.

Another problem that I faced was being seen during the daytime. It's not like I was a vampire myself and could not go out in the sun or that there was anything else physically preventing me from doing so, only the realization that since there was obviously someone wanting to kill me I found it was better to restrict myself to only going out at night when rifle shots become far more difficult to make. That way there was little chance of someone seeing and recognizing me at a distance in the shadowy twilight of city lights.

Since I was restricted by time I decided I would scout out Marcone's evening centric businesses over the coming nights and hopefully cross paths with him at a time and place that would be advantageous to me. This way I could not only let him know I was indeed alive but more importantly I could see how he reacted to the news. As I saw things there was a slim possibility that he had been behind the hit of me that needed to be checked out, but with him likely keeping the kibosh on the whole thing I doubted he was the actual sources, or at least I was willing to start on this assumption as see where it led.

One of Marcone's more impressive nighttime businesses was a gym facility that had the absolute hottest personal trainers, male or female, one could ever hope to find. For those with such interests in a really hard workout, the staff supposedly even employed twins and triplets of equal physical qualities. Knowing what I did of Gentleman Johnny I had no doubt that each of the private workout rooms were also wired for video and sound in case any of the relatively rich and distinguished customers such as local judges or city council members who partook of these guest services would have a personal incentive to look the other way if the club's true purpose ever became speculated upon or more common knowledge.

Unlike most other fitness centers this one seemed to do its best business after dark and the number of Cadillacs and Mercedes that entered and exited the private parking garage underneath the building made me suspect that this might be one of the more likely places for John to hang out in the evening. But with all these high end cars and their drivers picking him out of the crowd coming out of this garage was going to be a whole needle in a haystack type of exercise. And that is exactly what it would have been except of course, the needle I really need to find just happened to have bright red hair and was built like a mountain gorilla in a three piece suit. As luck would have it he happened to be also be exiting the very building in question as I sat across the street and tried to plan my next move.

Hendricks, the redheaded near ogre in question, strode efficiently across the street and almost directly at where I sat in my car, so close in fact that I put up a very simple veil quickly so that if he happened to look in my direction he would not see me sitting behind the wheel watching him. Bodyguards for mobsters tend to take surveillance rather seriously as it is either police trying to take down their boss, or rivals trying to work their way higher in the organization. From his reputation Hendricks had experience dealing with both and worse still he had no qualms about doing so. In fact he had built his reputation on these activities.

Thankfully the big bodyguard was also distracted from his normal attentive responsibilities by keeping track of a young woman in her early twenties who was rushing to keep up with him. But unfortunately for her she was also wearing five inch spiked heel thigh high boots that were barely acceptable for standing, took serious balance for simple walking, and required a gymnast's coordination and control of her entire body for anything faster than that which the woman in question obviously did not have.

While the girl was certainly not unattractive she was also not in the league, looks or fitness wise, of those who worked at Marcone's gym. Her attire, which in addition to the boots was made up of a black rubber skirt and matching halter top that left the tattooed inverted pentagram on her stomach visible to the world and a new black vinyl raincoat, screamed she had read too many vampire love story novels as a recent teenager. Worst of all from a professional standpoint though was the apparent magic wand she carried that even at this distance appeared to be nothing more than a drumstick with the tip filed down so that a crystal cat's eye marble could be glued to the end of it.

Now while this girl screamed novice practitioner and probably did not actually have enough magic ability to heat tea to room temperature, the fact that Hendricks was with someone visibly attempting to appear to be of Chicago magic scene pinged my curiosity like a radar set. Hendricks was never far from Marcone so that meant Marcone also had either had dealings with this woman, or was planning on having dealings with this woman. Either way that seemed right up my alley.

Her lack of any true power as far as magic was concerned was confirmed as I noted she was texting someone with her off hand so Hendricks could not see her doings so. Bodyguards tend to get violently emotional when people talk about what they are doing and therefore discourage the practice. But still the fact that she had a cell phone that worked made me certain she had no real power backing up her 'hey look at me I'm a wizard' outfit.

While the gym had its own parking lot beneath the building and I assume an elevator that connected it to the rest of the facility, Hendricks went instead to the bank across the street and into the employee parking area to retrieve a high end BWM that I, and likely everyone else, would have thought belonged to the bank's president. This was a good way to make sure no one decided to add an exploding feature since killers would expect the car parked beneath the building. I also noted that one of the bank cameras was pointed right where the vehicle was parked. I was willing to bet that feed also went to Marcone's security station in case anyone got too close to the vehicle.

After waiting her stumbling arrival, Hendricks allowed the girl to get into the front seat of the car before he drove the vehicle around and pulled up in front of the club. Years of practice between them had the timing just right as Gentleman Johnny Marcone exited the building and got into the backseat of the car before the wheels had fully stopped.

Okay the crime boss was meeting with someone connected to, or at least attempting to look like she was connected to, the magic community. There was no sign of Ms. Gard, Marcone's female Amazonian bodyguard, which meant either she was off attending to other business at her boss's behest, or she was covertly checking out wherever Hendricks was taking Marcone to ensure it was safe to do so. All of these factors made for a situation that screamed to me the need for further investigation so I started up the Mustang and began to follow the BMW at a safe and steady distance to not alert the driver as we made our way east toward the lake front. It struck me as we got closer that perhaps coincidentally or perhaps not this was also out toward the direction and place where I had died.

Traffic was relatively light as we got nearer to the lake and the docks area and while this made following the BMW easy it unfortunately also gave Hendricks the chance to note the tail and begin making turns to shake me off. I let him think he had done so by turning off my lights as he turned a corner and sped away out of momentary sight. Next I willed a simple veil around the entire car and raced to catch up, thankful for the streetlights in this part of town provided enough light to drive by since I could not turn on my headlights. I would not be able to keep a spell like this going for more than a few minutes at most but way out here near the docks I had to figure was our destination was close since it was not an area someone was likely to just drive to without a purpose.

We reached the warehouse section and Hendricks slowed way down as if looking for a specific number painted on the sides of the buildings. It was more likely he was looking for signs of a potential trap that the girl may be leading them into but there was no reason to explain that to her especially because if that proved to be true she was likely the first to die. The windows of the car were of course tinted to prevent anyone, especially someone with a sniper scope, from knowing exactly where the occupants were sitting inside. This was a smarted added precaution even though from the way the car seemed to sit much lower to the ground than others of its type I assumed it was armored and therefore had bullet resistant glass as well.

The car slowed down in front of one building that had light streaming from inside before driving on a little further in order to look down the alleyway on the opposite side. Hendricks then performed a perfect driving exam Y-turn and brought the car right back facing the big double doors to the warehouse and honked twice.

Almost immediately the doors, fifteen foot tall things on rails that were high enough to allow a tractor trailer to back inside, were each pulled open by a pair of two more Halloween costume dressed wizard wannabes, one male and one female this time sporting enough body piercings to make my apprentice look like an extra on Leave it to Beaver. I was really going to be depressed if all this turned out to just be some kids who had watched too many episodes of Charmed growing up; but not nearly as upset as Marcone would likely be. The car drove inside, not all the way, in fact only far enough for the rear doors to open without contacting the warehouse doors. The BMW's trunk stayed right where the two doors would close ensuring there was no way the getaway car could be trapped inside if this was indeed a trap. Like I said Hendricks may look like a gorilla, but he was not stupid.

I parked around the corner where my car would not be seen, let the veil around it drop and was instantly thankful for the less strain this placed upon me. Magic is tough. It's not that a basic veil takes a lot of magic to keep running , it just takes enough concentration to do it right as to become distracting from other things like cars running red lights or other similar things that could kill you if you did not pay attention.

I got out and stuck to the shadows, reaching the side door of the warehouse where the workers came out to smoke based upon all the crushed butts lying on the ground. I was also happily lucky to find this door was unlocked. I slid it open just enough to squeeze inside and moved carefully through stacks of boxes and crates all on shipping pallets. Thankfully the floor was poured concrete so by moving cautiously through the shadows I was able to stay quiet until I could find a place to observe what was really going on here.

By this time Hendricks stood in the front of the car holding a pump action twelve gauge shotgun that had a dozen or so extra rounds in sleeves along the stock. In Hendricks hands the weapon looked barely bigger than a long barreled pistol would look in my own. I had no doubt that with Marcone's general understanding of magic that the shotgun was special loaded with mixed bag of iron, silver, and even rock salt pellets that would be lethal to all types of magical creatures. Gentleman Johnny kept his position on top of the crime world of Chicago by thinking ahead better than anyone else.

The girl passenger stood by Hendricks's side obviously wanting to flee or at least be further from the bodyguard than she was now but a glare from the big man the one time she tried to slide another foot or so away was enough to make her meekly freeze in place. She looked nervous at being this close to the big man, but both his intimidating size and his quite obviously ready shotgun reached through to the rationale parts of her mind and convinced her running would be suicide even if such a thing were possible based upon her foolish choice of footware.

The two door openers were not so tightly restricted in their movements and put distance between themselves as their hostage partner. Hendricks had obviously motioned for the pair to stay in front of the car where the headlights could keep track of them and they had wisely agreed to do so. They also conveniently for him stayed right next to each other, displaying a comfortable intimacy between them that lent each other strength but also made it likely that a single well place shot from Hendrick's shotgun would drop or at least wound the pair of them. Not only were they amateurs in magic but they were relatively stupid where potential conflict was possible as well. I noted that these two were also wearing almost exclusively black clothing as well and each sported the same new long black vinyl raincoat just like the first wore. Either all three shopped at the same store or there was a hell of a vinyl sale going on somewhere in the city.

"You said he would be here now get him to come forward into the light." Hendricks said to the girl as he grabbed her arm and shook her slightly, which for him made the scene look like a terrier with a stuffed animal.

"He…" The girl started and then stopped and swallowed again in fear before trying to speak normal again. "He is a master wizard. He will appear when he is ready." The speech she gave was obviously rehearsed but that did not mean she did not still nearly choke on it now having to say her lines while facing near certain death at the hands of a man whose eyes betrayed that he knew how to kill.

Master wizard? Those words certainly perked up my ears and made me happy I had decided to tag along. As Chicago's premier wizard and the only one listed in the Yellow Pages I liked to know when others came to town.

Hendricks spun the gun around toward the girl and placed the barrel right between the rubber covered mounds of her breasts. "You better hope that he is a little smarter than that." He said and with that the girl's knees gave out in obvious fear and she started to collapse.

Without a thought or even much effort the big bodyguard swung her around so that she ended up sitting with her backside on the bumper of the car and with the barrel of the shotgun now holding her locked in place. Her two companions squirmed at this display and seemed ready to bolt into the shadows of the warehouse as well but Hendrick's left hand released the girl he had been holding allowing the shotgun's barrel in his right to keep her steady and drew a long barrel .44 automatic from inside his coat and pointed this second weapon at the pair to keep them in place also.

"You get only one more chance." He said to the assembled trio. "Tell him to get out here or things will get bloody quickly."

The girl on the bumper could not find her voice even though she tried. Instead all that came out was an odd squeaking noise similar to a mouse that finds its tail caught in a trap. Luckily for her the other pair of rubber clad novices between them was able to pull up a little more courage and they followed Hendricks's orders just as he had directed them too.

"Wizard Dresden we call to you!" The pair said in obviously practiced voices that took on the quality of a near religious chant. They said it two more times.

Holy shit! What the hell was that supposed to mean? I could not tell if they were trying to fake a really poor summoning spell or if in fact it was an even worse attempt at a séance. I mean it's not every day that a group of wizards, okay even children pretending to be wizards, calls out your name and hopes you appear. I wondered if the rumors of my death had in fact made me some kind of modern day paranormal superstition like staring into a mirror and saying the name Bloody Mary three times. My god if that is going to be the eternal tribute for the life of Harry Dresden I'd rather be completely forgotten by everyone instead.

Much to my surprise then 'Wizard Dresden' walked out from the shadowy areas across from the car and directly into the illumination of its headlights. No it was not me. I was still standing off to the side trying to figure out what the hell was going on here when 'Wizard Dresden' made his appearance with yet a third female clinging to his side who was if anything even more scantily dressed than her sisters beneath her also new and open vinyl raincoat. Thankfully for my image at least this sycophant was the prettiest of the three.

'Harry' on the other hand had at least a modicum of taste where clothing was concerned and would not be sent off to the gallows by the fashion police as quickly as his friends were likely to be. Instead of vinyl he was wearing an actual leather duster, brand new from the sheen it still had, but almost identical to the one I had up until very recently regularly wore. Unlike me, he was also wearing a leather Stetson hat trimmed in silver. I had to admit I was a little jealous at the way this looked. The whole hat thing was actually pretty cool image. I was sorry I had never accessorized like this. But all my couture issues aside, Thomas had taught me that word by the way, the confrontation playing out before me was enough to keep me entertained at the moment and not buried into the could haves and should have of male fashion.

"You would dare threaten us with mortal weapons?" 'Harry' challenged Hendricks raising a wooden staff that had started out a dowel bought at Home Depot and looked like it had taken an entire weekend to notch symbols into with a Boy Scout knife. These marks had then been filled with what looked like phosphorescent paint and probably would have looked pretty cool under a black light bulb. Of course it looked rather pathetic in regular light. I also had a feeling if you channeled any real magic into this 'staff' the damn thing would exploded and shower the caster with a rain of splinters, but hey since this 'Harry' was only going for image I guess the staff was a good added touch.

Before Hendricks could reply the back door of the car opened up and Marcone stepped out, keeping the door open and between him and the rest in case any of the group were packing 'mortal weapons' themselves. Like I said John is not a stupid man. "You are not Harry Dresden." He said with a touch of annoyance in his voice. "Therefore this meeting is over." The way he spoke the word 'over' made everyone present wonder if he was speaking solely of the meeting or more likely of its participants' lives.

"Wait!" The 'Harry' called out as Marcone began to sit back down in the car. "It is true that the one you knew of as The Dresden has left his mortal coils behind." My god who talks like this? Either the plea or the subject was enough, however, to keep Marcone from getting all the way back into the car. It gave 'Wizard Dresden' the chance to dig himself even deeper.

"Dresden is merely a magical title for the senior wizard in the city of Chicago much as Merlin is for the greatest wizard in England." For a 'senior wizard' this 'Dresden' certainly did not sound all that calm and convincing while he made up this story. On the bright side I had to admit that this was a little more respectful of my death than being compared to the Bloody Mary urban legend. The fact that he got the Merlin detail wrong though made me think his reference point was more likely Disney's Sorcerer's Apprentice rather than the actual White Council.

"And you wish me to believe that you are now the new Dresden as you claim to be?" Marcone said getting a slow dip of the hat, just once from 'Wizard Dresden,' in response. Yep that cut it. If a hat could make a character like this look remotely convincing and intimidating in a bad situation then I had to get me one soon.

"Even if this were true, why should this concern me?" Gentleman John asked in a way that everyone present understood meant how could he profit from this particular piece of knowledge? "Are you indicating you were the one behind his death so that you could assume this role for yourself and you lackeys?" Yeah nothing like the term lackey to destroy a group's confidence and overinflated egos. But hey John, thanks for the question that I had not even thought to consider as a possibility.

'The Dresden' paused as if confused by the pair of questions. It was obvious he wanted something, but copping to a murder was not how his plans had expected to get it. "I did not kill the previous Dresden." He admitted. "The word on the street is that you employed the former Dresden from time to time to settle scores for you magically."

"Indeed. Is that what the word on the street says?" Marcone asked knowing in fact it was because largely through his efforts he had put that very word out on the street to explain our previous encounters.

"Indeed." 'Dresden' replied trying to imitate Marcone's cool demeanor and dialogue and getting only a raised eyebrow of disapproval from the crime lord in the process. "I mean it is what those in the magical community believe to be true. I therefore have come to you as the new Dresden with an offer to continue this relationship to the benefit of both of our individual interests." Wow I was not even buried yet and people were already lining up to find ways to profit off my death.

"And what references can you provide to demonstrate that you are indeed a worthy successor to the Dresden title and the sole claimant?" Marcone asked. Yeah, thanks for that too John. It's not like I wanted just anyone to take the name and run with it. If 'The Dresden' was really going to take on this type of meaning then there needed to be some sort of screening process. In fact this was something I should have made sure to trademark before I had died so that my daughter could collect the related royalties on it. Hey maybe it was not the Beatles music rights collection but every million dollar industry needs to begin somewhere.

"Unfortunately there are few who have crossed my path and have lived to talk about it to provide you this reference." 'Dresden' replied using one of the oldest wizard lines in existence. Next thing you know he will be trying to tell everyone how he lost his virginity so some hot girl in Canada when he was fourteen. The old reliable lies are really not all that reliable to those who have been around the block, they are just old.

"I see." Marcone said obviously not impressed with the story either. Go on 'Dresden,' now tell him about your Canadian summer of love at fourteen so we can get this over with.

"Well there is one old woman down in New Orleans that you could speak to." The story and the way 'Dresden' said 'Nawlins' made me suddenly realize who it was dressed up to be the new 'Wizard Dresden.'

Over a year ago I had finally decided to take a day off and just relax. I was seeing Warden Luccio at the time and had planned a nice dinner date when this group of wannabes tried jumping me right outside my apartment bent upon revenge. The leader of this group of two men and three women had been enraged because I had removed the curse he had placed on some kind old woman in New Orleans. All five had run off when I pulled out my gun but they swore one day to return for their revenge. Oh my god! This idiot was juggling nitro by dealing with Marcone and not having anything to back it up and had no idea he was about to get blown up.

"I don't think so…" Marcone said looking at Hendricks and giving a slight, almost unperceivable nod for his bodyguard to do what he did best. Things were just seconds from getting bloody so it was the appropriate time for 'The Real Harry Dresden' to make his appearance. I pulled in a little bit of magic, focused on the effect I wanted and let the spell go.

The four wizard wannabes that did not currently have a shotgun pointed at their chest were all looking around at each other for what to do now when the first notes of tinkling music, soft and very much like rain dancing on a pond, began echoing around the warehouse but coming from nowhere in particular. I was impressed that the building created out of corrugated steel walls had such good acoustics actually. When one tries out this kind of magic its effect tends to be hit or miss based upon the ability of the listeners to even catch on to it. Thankfully with no one talking at the moment and the fortunate ability for the sound to bounce off walls and ceilings it was like we were all right at the front of the stage for a concert. I half expected at least one of the 'wizards' to pull out a lighter as the song went on.

A few more seconds of guitar chords was all it took to make everyone assembled start looking around for the source. "One of the conditions for this meeting was that we would be alone and not be observed." Marcone said as he listened to the music but showed no emotion other than apparent annoyance that he was dealing with amateurs.

"We are alone." My doppelganger replied. "We did a full search of the building before you arrived."

"Obviously you were mistaken or more likely you are incompetent." Marcone answered. "Either way this is proof enough that you have no place in my organization."

Faced with this obvious setback to his plans their leader turned to his assembled minions. "Go find out who is here!" 'Dresden' ordered his flunkies and the other three scattered to do just that, each holding up something that was supposed to be a wand. The fourth member who hand the shotgun in her chest tried to move and search also but Hendricks pushed her back with the barrel as he looked to his boss for a decision. Gentleman Johnny Marcone was not about to have his most loyal bodyguard kill anyone if there was the potential for witnesses so with a wave of his hand he ordered Hendricks to let her join in the search as well just as the first vocals began.

_It's all the same…._

_Only the names will change…_

_Every day…_

_It seems were wasting away…_

_Another place…_

_Where the faces are so cold…_

_I'd drive all night…_

_Just to get back home…_

I could have stayed hidden under a veil and let the group search in vain for me but since I was now more or less committed to saving the lives of this rather harmless, though incredibly foolish, group of idiots that course would have been counterproductive. And just because I was planning to save all their lives if I could it did not mean I could not provide them a few bruises from real magic both to serve as a lesson and also to help further my own particular goals with Johnny Marcone at the moment.

I moved into a rather conveniently narrow channel of stacked boxes and aimed my own magic channeling weapon forward across the opening as I waited for my first victim to come to me. It ended up being my counterpart's love interest who chose the wrong alley to turn down and inadvertently came face to face with me instead. Her surprise changed to the beginnings of a scream of discovery but I had the drop on her and therefore spoke first.

"Forzare!" I said channeling magical force through my staff. Not too much or too tightly concentrated to break ribs but a near perfect amount to lift the girl from the floor and toss her twenty feet right over the hood of Marcone's car to crash into a stack of boxes on the other side. Her cry of 'I've found him' or whatever she was going to yell never made it past her lips but the alert got out all the same.

_I'm a cowboy…_

_On a steel horse I ride…_

_I'm wanted…wanted… Dead or Alive…_

_Wanted…wanted… Dead or Alive…_

I must admit I chose this particular song to play on what I have recently come to call my I-Pod spell because I had driven a Mustang (steel horse) to get here, and in fact whether I was dead or alive was obviously of serious debate both in the magical and underworld communities at the moment. For the record I did not profit from the use of this song incase Jon Bon Jovi ever wants to sue me for using his music without written permission.

I wandered over through another series of shadows and crates to find my next suitable ambush position as the inevitable 'He's over there' cries of the obvious began to circulate through the room. Thankfully these interruptions occurred only during the instrumental part between lyrics so no one really missed out on the song.

_Sometimes I sleep…_

_Sometimes it's not for days…_

_The people I meet…_

_Always go their separate ways…_

Sometimes I really think the gods of magic love me. I could not have asked for a better lead in for the next Hogwarts disciple to cross in front of where I was hiding.

"Forzare!" I called again and this time the original shotgun girl got a momentary taste of what it was like to fly on a broomstick around a stadium audience, well minus the broomstick of course. B she did get to fully experience a rough landing against a hard surface as well. Rubber may look cool in a nightclub but it has no real cushioning capabilities in magical combat. Man I hope none of these crates have the word 'Fragile' painted on the side or someone's insurance company was going to be really pissed. Two down, neither of which appearing overly injured but neither showed signs of any desire to come charging back into the fight now that they had experienced the power of a real wizard.

_Sometimes you tell the day…_

_By the bottle that you drink…_

_Sometimes when you're alone…_

_All you do is think…_

"Now he's over there!" My doppelganger screamed and while I could not see him from my current position I had no doubt that he was pointing in my general direction, or at least where I had been when I had tossed his last companion and before I had taken the time and move my position again. I did take a moment when I had the chance to look over at the car and noted that Marcone had his hand up keeping Hendricks restrained for the moment from joining in on the hunt. The overlord of all crime in the city of Chicago seemed quite content to see how this all played out.

_I'm a cowboy…_

_On a steel horse I ride…_

_I'm wanted…wanted… Dead or Alive…_

_Wanted…wanted… Dead or Alive…_

The romantic pair who had opened the doors happened to be close and I only made it over one more row before the two of them entered the same corridor I was in, saw me, and raised their wands to point in my direction.

_Oh I ride…_

Part of me really wanted to wait and see if they could even make the tips of their wands glow, but unfortunately I had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment than wizard show and tell. I could have used the magical force spell and tried to toss them both but that chanced doing real harm to their bodies with that much force and as stupid as the pair was, I would rather they chalk this up as a learning experience rather than the start of long term disability. So what I needed instead was something a little more widespread but not particularly deadly.

"Ventas servitas" I called out and the natural tunnel created by the stacked rows of boxes allowed my spell to channel a regular air current into a brief moment of narrow hurricane winds that did not throw the pair through the air like the magical force spell had did to their companions but instead only knocked them on their asses and sent them tumbling back across the floor like two out of control rubber balls to crash up against the boxes on the far side as well. Their groans thankfully only lasted through the instrumentals.

_I'm a cowboy…_

_On a steel horse I ride…_

_I'm wanted…wanted… Dead or Alive…_

I stepped around to the main central hallway of the warehouse but still way toward the back where I was just a vague shadowy image out beyond the reach of the BMW's headlights. I exaggerated my movements just enough to draw 'The Dresden's' attention to myself and he turned toward me not unlike two cowboys about to face off on the streets of Tombstone. Cue the vocals Jon if you would be so kind.

_I walk these streets…_

_A loaded six string on my back…_

_I play for keeps…_

_Cause I might not make it back…_

_I've been everywhere…_

_Still I'm standing tall…_

_I've seen a million faces…_

_And I've rocked them all…_

'The Dresden' was fast and spun his wand around to point right at me. Had it been a gun he might have gotten a shot off. Had he been a wizard with any real power, heck he might have even killed me. But the best he could do was make the crystal on the end of his wand glow deep and sinister red before I launched my own spell.

"Solvos!" I commanded aiming my own weapon at his. The magical breakage spell snapped the wand and shattered the crystal into a fine rain of sandy particles that glimmered red in the air as the magic held inside the stone faded away.

_I'm a cowboy…_

_On a steel horse I ride…_

_I'm wanted…wanted… Dead or Alive…_

_Cause I'm a cowboy…_

_I got the night on my side…_

_And I'm wanted…wanted… Dead or Alive…_

I let the song fade away because you really cannot improve on the tension after a good showdown scene anyway. 'The Dresden' though was looking to the remaining two inch stick in his hand and then up toward me since I still had my own weapon pointed directly at him.

"You broke my wand!" He said looking back at it and then to me again in total shock and almost to the point of tears. "That is not fair!" Wow this kid really was out of it. I almost considered letting Marcone have his way with him but I did not want to ruin that really nice coat he was wearing. But that gave me a perfect idea.

"Your coat and hat." I said waving my weapon a little more at him to keep his attention and my intimidation. "Take them off and toss them over here." I ordered.

"My c… c… coat?" Wow, who knew that the new 'The Dresden' actually had a stutter issue when he got nervous? Damn that would making casting spells in combat a real bitch.

"And the hat." I said making sure not to forget that as well. I had to admit it really improved the image.

He looked heartbroken for a moment since the ensemble likely set him back more than five hundred bucks but prudence and a strong survival instinct won out and he stripped them both off, rolled the coat up carefully and stuck it in the hat and tossed the whole getup to land right by my feet. That unfortunately left him standing bare chested in only a pair of tight leather pants that would have probably made him extremely popular with Greek sailors but I figure that was his issue to deal with. Oh well embarrassed and alive is better in his case than dead which is what would likely have happened.

"Now pack up the kiddies and get out of town." I said unrolling the coat and putting it on to his obvious disappointment. The hat actually fit as well. There is nothing I like less than a tight hat.

The kid looked like he wanted to put up some last argument, but a quick look to his friends showed him that they were already scrambling to follow my orders as none of them cared for a second taste of what real magic can do. I hoped they would decide that new elections for team leader were in order soon. The one they had been following was obviously not the brightest bulb on the tree and few people outside of Hollywood ever lived through two mistakes of this biblically epic proportion.

I stepped up fully into the headlights of the BMW. "Marcone I believe we need to talk." I said.

"Well you at least give a better show at being Harry Dresden than those children did." Marcone replied. "However, the Dresden I know seems to prefer fire and I noted that you avoided using spells of that nature." He said with a hint of challenge in his voice. "Or should I take this as a personal insult that you only like burning down my buildings?"

"What can I say John?" I raised my hand and willed a magical fire to glow within it. "You are special to me."

*Wanted Dead or Alive performed by Bon Jovi*


	2. Chapter 2

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 2_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

Gentleman Johnny Marcone stared at me making this blatant declaration in his tailor made Italian three piece suit that was currently worth more than everything I owned after, perhaps looking for my reaction to the comment. Note to self, if the situation works out where I don't have to kill Marcone and his gorilla be sure to ask him for the name and address of his tailor. Thankfully I have experience in not giving away too much when faced by ruthless killers like Marcone and heck I even had a hat to tip down further by aiming my head lower making his ability to read anything from me nearly nonexistent. That of course and I had to admit I was more than a little intimidate by how nice that suit looked on him.

That being said it is only fair to note that I never want to play poker with Johnny Marcone either. The man gave nothing away in either his expression or his posture that I could tell from staring at him. He showed no frustration, glee, anger, or even curiosity over my sudden appearance from the dead but rather just stared at me like an emotionless computer calculating how best to turn these events into a profitable situation for him. If there was one thing about John it was obvious that almost everything for him was strictly business and when in business he made sure to make a profit.

I said almost everything was business leaving room for exception because of the simple fact that I knew from personal experience that the ever dangerous Gentleman John Marcone, possibly the most dangerous and brilliant gangster to emerge in the past sixty years, had one personal weakness. For all his ability to calmly order the death of anyone inside his operation who lost his disfavor or anyone outside the family who crossed his path with hostile or personal intentions, the most ruthless gangster was still protective of children; and not just children he knew personally, but any child almost anywhere who he had a reasonable ability to protect.

I had seen this first hand more than two years when Marcone was captured by a group of demon possessed fanatics who had the intention of corrupting the mob boss and making him one of their lackeys with a demon infestation of his own. That move was in fact part of a deeper plan to draw out and capture a being known as The Archive, the sum of all of mankind's knowledge, but who also currently inhabited the body of a young teen girl. Their plans for her were even worse than the tortures the demons had put Marcone through.

When myself and a group of my friends came to rescue the both of them, even though Marcone had been cruelly tortured, barely able to stand, and even had a part of his ear cut off he still demanded that The Archive, who had magical power to rival that of a Faerie Queen, be rescued and pulled to safety from the battle before any attention was paid to him. It was this incredibly odd dichotomy of his outlook on life and death that I had to admit made the gangster interesting to deal with; especially when compared to the more run of the mill killing you and eat you types of monsters in my life.

"You say that like it is supposed to be an indelible statement of fact or are you looking for some sort of confirmation from me on this?" I asked as he continued his little evaluation game with me waiting for me to do or say something one way or the other. Suck it up John I have more important things to do then having a staring contest with you all night.

"I am not sure." Marcone said, not with any projection of self doubt but rather a twinge of intrigue. "That is what makes dealing with you, or at least the real Harry Dresden so interesting. He has this annoying yet admirable ability to survive situations when everything indicates he shouldn't."

That was a close enough segue to get me over to the subject I came here for. "I assume you cannot be too heartbroken over the possibility that I am still alive as you went to so much effort to prevent any word in the media reports that I had been killed." I said getting right to the heart of my reason for wanting to speak with him. Let's see how you like it John when I say your moves are equally transparent at times.

"It was hardly an effort." Marcone replied indifferently as if the action was as simple as breathing while he continued to stare sizing me up in the process. "As I have said to you before, I find that you serve as an occasionally useful tool for me whether you accept this role or not. Your death was hardly the first of its kind that I ever requested get little air time. Thankfully the media understands that some things are better left unreported."

"You know it would be easy for me to assume that you did not want my death to draw even more attention because you were behind it." I said noting that Hendricks tensed up at my words of seeming challenge even though I careful placed no implied threat or repercussion behind them. Marcone did not move but even so something in his posture, perhaps his own lack of tension, was an order for the big man to stand down and relax as well. To my amusement the bodyguard did just that. I kept myself in check for not mentioning how well trained he was.

"Really Dresden if this is really who you are?" Marcone asked with a tinge of annoyance. "Do you think if I had desired your death that you would be here now speaking with me? Or even more importantly do you think anyone would be foolish enough to imitate 'The Dresden' if I had been behind the attack?" Although the latter comment Marcone made was likely meant to refer to the former owner of my new coat and hat, I could tell the subtle undertone reflected his suspicions on whether I myself was the general article or not as well. Like I said before, being dead obviously screws up all sorts of things.

I visibly relaxed everywhere except for tightening my hand on the staff I was carrying. As much as I hated to admit it John's logic made a lot of sense. If he had been behind the attack the word would have gotten out in all the right circles and no one would have been foolish enough to want to claim to be Harry Dresden and draw his attention down upon themselves. Making sure the job hard been done right was not the reason he was standing here in this warehouse I knew. But then again there were other reasons why Gentleman Johnny Marcone might come to check out claims of a new 'Dresden.'

"No John I doubt anyone would be that dumb, not even me if I could pick another name." I said with a laugh. "So then I guess I should assume that your presence here is probably based upon you wondering if the attack on me was really just someone's opening gambit to set up a magical attack on you now?" I asked letting a little bit of a knowing smile that I understood him touch the corners of my lips.

He continued his stare at me with only a slight rise in one eyebrow. "You are either getting smarter and more perceptive then you were just days ago Mr. Dresden or you are not the real Harry Dresden." He said becoming even more blatant in his questioning of me.

"Chalk it up to experience and recent repercussions John." I said casually ignoring the challenge. I would have purposefully stared at my nails to give him even less concern for his question but that was probably a little too dramatically over the top. "I have been rolling around in the mud with scum like you for so many years now some of it was bound to stick eventually. That means you are like old chewing gum on the bottom of my shoes I guess." I said making Hendricks growl.

Marcone's eyes flashed dangerously as he considered his next words. I tensed a bit wondering if I had pushed him or his bodyguard a little too far this time and instead of getting information I was going to get yet another fight I did not actually need. I paged quickly through my mind wondering which spell is the best option for dealing with a gorilla like Hendricks.

"I believe I am going to accept you are indeed Harry Dresden for the moment only for the simple fact that I would like to think there are two wizards in the city of Chicago who can be this annoying and this foolish." Marcone said at last relaxing just enough to be a subtle warning for me not to push things any further because I had run out of my current supply of looking the other way. I took this as good advice as well since I really did not see how getting into a war with the gangster and his pet ogre would benefit me.

"Good, that will make our remaining discussions easier." I said calming myself as well. "Why exactly did you agree to come here to this warehouse looking for me if you were fairly certain that I was already dead?" I asked him as I tried to put the pieces together. "Did you honestly think whoever was behind the attempt on my life had gone to all this trouble merely in an attempt to replace me?"

"Please give me the same level of credit I afford you." Marcone said dryly. "Whoever tried to kill you was smart enough to do so in a way that you could not see it coming." He explained. "That indicates to me someone fairly intelligent and informed, at least where your kind are concerned." I knew by 'my kind' what Marcone was really meaning was wizards in general. Whether or not he knew about a wizard's death curse specifically I could not tell from his careful choice of words but it would not surprise me that a man as naturally and professionally cautious as Johnny Marcone would seek to learn as much as possible about wizards since his path and mine had this tendency to cross on a disturbingly frequent basis.

"Someone with that level or skill in planning is either someone I need to employ or someone I need to eliminate before they start to think I am a suitable target as well." The way he could so calmly speak to killing someone without guilt or fear of repercussions, and right in front of me as a potential witness no less, demonstrated that Johnny Marcone was either nearly fearless or completely insane. I could not decide which of those two options was the more frightening to me.

"I can see that makes sense, but you really cannot tell me that you thought these Manson Family wannabes were possibly involved in that." I pointed out. If her was looking for a seriously intelligent assassin, the kids wearing the Twilight makeup hardly seemed to me to fit that mold.

"Of course not." Marcone said. "But as you rightfully pointed out I have made sure that the news of your death was highly limited. As best I can tell the only ones who learned of it outside the authorities were those of your acquaintance who former officer Sergeant Karrin Murphy told and who have not been sharing that information outside their circle. There were also a few who paid the police for this information as well, but those individuals either worked for me or the press, and as you so rightly deduced I knew that second tree from bearing any fruit."

I followed that line of thought to its next logical step. "Ah, so I see you are monitoring the flow of information." I stated to him with a smile of my own. "That way if someone shows they know of my death and you cannot trace it back to one of these sources that you know about…"

"…Then the only ones they could have gotten that information from was either the killer or the person who had hired them." Marcone finished for me showing not only was he every bit as smart as me, but that he had come to this realization and implemented this plan within mere hours of hearing of my death. I hated that I had to admire someone like Marcone but until this very moment such a plan would never have been something that would have dawned on me. There is an old saying that a perfect criminal mind had to be a greater genius than those who tried to catch them because they not only had to plan out a perfect crime, but they had to understand and plan for how everyone else would think as well. I wondered if Gentleman Johnny Marcone was that perfect criminal mind.

"So then who did the evil Jackson Five learn about my death from?" I asked figuring this was just the information I needed as well.

Marcone's eyes turned even colder as he regarded me but did not immediately offer up an answer to my question. "I do not see what I gain from sharing that information with you." He said with no hint of a teasing smile but was instead all business. "You have rejected my offers for employment time and again so there is no question of loyalty. You have destroyed my businesses on multiple occasions and threatened both myself and my employees. You and your friends did have a hand in my rescue a few times but the debts incurred from that were all paid back in full." He stopped and stared at me like a snake preparing to strike at a mouse trapped in a corner. "So what makes you think I have any reason at all to share any information I may have on this subject with you?"

He had me there. I really had no leverage over him and it was not like Gentleman Johnny was known for handing out freebies to those who had challenged his authority. That left the old reliable show of force approach, but that would just cause another fight and I really did not have the energy to waste at the moment when there were more important things in play. Worse still he understood that and waited for me to say the words that he knew I would eventually have to.

"What are you proposing?" I asked keeping my words to the fewest possible as I agreed to negotiate.

I will give this to Marcone, he was so dedicated to business that he did not even take the time to gloat that I was standing before him with proverbial hat in hand requiring his assistance. Instead he looked at his watch, obviously calculating how much more time he could spend here dealing with me before looking back at me once more.

"I will not waste either of our times with another offer of employment because if you rejected me a third time I would have to kill you out of simple propriety." Marcone said with no sense of humor. "But I believe as I am a signatory to the Seelie Accords that entitles us to make a temporary alliance of convenience to act in our shared interests knowing that for either of us to violate that oath would mean our death, is that not correct?" He said almost exactly quoting one of the permission of the Accords when it had been translated from its original Latin.

"Such an alliance is possible providing that both parties agree to whatever limitations the partnership has, and what the eventual outcome of this alliance is to lead to." I said further elaborating. The last clause was put in place so that neither party could use the Accords to manipulate an unsuspecting partner into a suicide pact because they had not been smart enough to see this for themselves. "What is the end state that you desire?"

"Simple." John said. "Status quo as the situation between us was before this attempt upon your life. Something fairly important seems to be taking place in the magical underworld of Chicago and this has the potential for affecting me either directly or indirectly. I suspect this is related to the attempt on your life but since my own information on the subject is at present limited it may be something completely unrelated." His tone was strictly business like.

"If these events are tied to the attack upon you then while I might enjoy the opportunity to hire those behind that attack as such demonstrated planning talent is indeed rare, I willingly accept that you have first right of retaliation and wave this personal desire if you find that killing them, or in your case perhaps having them arrested even, is a better solution." The fact that he was so casual about killing was unnerving but he was talking about those who had left two high powered rifle bullets in the cabin of the Water Beetle.

"If it turns out that the attack on you was unrelated to other events recently taking place but these other events remain a shared concern then we pool our resources and information to see that this threat is also removed." I had a feeling John could have been a damn good lawyer if he had wanted to be. "And if we learn the threat is not shared, then we part in good standing and allow the other to deal with these events as they see fit without interruption. Is this an acceptable end state Mr. Dresden?" He was just too snakelike for my comfort but I had little choice in the matter.

"A few caveats." I said knowing you never let the person you are negotiating with make all the rules.

"Name them." He replied.

"First, however we 'deal with' this shared concern, we prevent innocents from being hurt." I said making sure he knew an army of his goons gunning down a city block was not something I was prepared to tolerate.

"Accepted." He said with a wave of his hand. "Innocent blood is bad for business."

"Second, we deal with our own." I said to him. "I may have to work and talk with you but I want my friends kept out of your circle and your promise not to try and entice them to your way of thinking, or apply any leverage against them to act in your behalf based on these events."

"Accepted." He said without hesitation for a second time. "I find those you work with to be rather stiff necked like yourself. We will incur no debts between yours and mine."

"Last." I said really without anything else but because three demands seemed much more confident and controlled than two. "We share everything we collect in information but I have the lead on the investigation. You and yours get my approval before taking any steps." Suck on that one Marcone! How's it feel for the big boss to have to report to someone else?

"Agreed." He said without a second of hesitation. "I would rather delegate the leg work to you." He looked to Hendricks and snapped his fingers holding out his hand. The big man pulled out a gold, I mean a real twenty four carat gold, business card hold with Marcone's initials prominently engraved on the case and handed it to him.

Marcone opened this and drew out an embossed business card that had no name on its pure pristine white surface, only the seven digits of a local telephone number. "You can reach me at this number with whatever information you gather. I will provide you any updates my employees have acquired when you call." He said before handing the case back to the bodyguard and putting his hand forward for us to shake on.

Dammit! Why did I feel like I had just been totally outmaneuvered? 'It was probably because you were' said a little voice deep inside my head that I really did not like at that moment. Well it was too late to back out of this now but I did not have to play his game. "I accept the deal Marcone but that does not mean I want to touch you." I said drawing no emotion from him. "Spill on what you are still holding back." I said.

His flicker of annoyance at my rudeness faded quickly as he put his hand down. "On the way over here the young lady who provided us with directions explained she had only learned of your death because her and her companions had served an overnighter in a holding cell two nights ago on possession, the mundane illegal narcotic crime and not the demonic matter." He explained looking for me to obviously make the connection.

Okay so the five would get picked up by a couple of cars and taking to the local station for booking and once that was processed they would be placed into a holding cell. "Great they were right down the hall from Special Investigations and heard someone talking about my case." I said quickly putting this all together and thankful that I knew the layout of that building due to my visits with Karrin Murphy.

"That was what I determined as well just as we pulled into the building." Marcone said confirming this was a dead end. If it had not been for the coat and hat I collected this might have been a total bust. Marcone did nothing but confirm what I had already suspected on the issue with the press. But why then was he so hot to make a deal?

"What else do you have then that you are worried about?" I asked watching his slight smile of approval on following the breadcrumbs he was leaving for me. Have I mentioned John is really annoying?

He paused as if considering what to say but really serving no purpose but to annoy me further as we both knew he was going to have to tell me based upon our agreement. Finally he began. "There was an incident at the Chicago Zoo last night that may have relevance in these events or at least screams of a magical component."

"Go on." I had heard nothing on this story and with it being such a slow news day and the Chicago Zoo being one of our city's most beloved attractions this silence was indeed strange.

"From what I have learned it appears that the pair of night watchmen who wander the zoo after dark came across one or more _somethings_ that were not there to feed the monkeys." This was nothing all that new to me. Those who did not know much about real magic often proscribed magical powers to certain types of animals and believed their bodies could be used to create spells or potions. Best known of this is the White Rhino which has been a protected species for over two decades now but is still poached by hunters to collect its horn which people believe when ground up provides men with nearly superhuman strength or the magical equivalent of Viagra. One of the stacks of fliers in my former office was dedicated to debunking this and other similar myths since they did nothing but give magic a bad name. No wizard wanted to face a PETA inspired mob if they could avoid it.

"The morning crew of feeders barely discovered enough of the pair, a few teeth from one and part of the hand of the other that appeared to have been ripped off by large teeth so I'm told, to confirm that both guards had been present." He continued. "The amount of blood upon the ground though was too much for a single body."

While human beings were capable of various acts of brutality what Marcone was describing reaching quite a ways past the norm. Unfortunately however it was not all that much of a stretch for many things that came out from the Nevernever or even some things that lived right here in the mortal world but that we tending to ignore or think of only as myths from bygone days. "Did they find any other parts of the bodies elsewhere?" I asked. Such sloppy disposal was also not uncommon for such creatures and would point toward a different series of really nasty things.

"They found nothing according to my sources that were at the scene and tasked to help clean up." Marcone said confirming he had people in police uniforms who were feeding him information just as I suspected. Well that was hardly surprising or anything I was going to worry myself about. Cops needed to make a living and copy pay rarely covered the expenses of a family. Murphy would hate to know this, but I understood the unfortunate economics.

"So one or more _somethings_ ate two night watchmen?" I asked looking for confirmation.

Marcone merely tipped his head. "That is what it appears and based upon our shared history with werewolves it seems to me that perhaps we are facing something similar."

Many years ago a group of FBI agents got their hands on some magical belts that allowed them to transform into werewolves and they put them to used hunting down those like Marcone that they saw were beyond the reach of the law. Not realizing the corrupting and addictive power of this type of magic the four eventually went crazy and killed innocents in the process to protect their secret. Marcone and I had to team up with others to eventually bring them down. It was not a memory I wanted to relive and from the expression on John's face it was a feeling that he shared as well.

"So you assume that the attack against me was to get me out of the way for round two of the wolf attack scenario?" I asked.

"As I said I do not know that for sure." Marcone answered honestly. "It certainly is a plausible explanation though and was a lead that I thought prudent to investigate further."

I thought about it and there was a possibility that this could be true. Hell I've seen the Tom Clancy books and knew that the FBI had snipers who could have been behind the shooting at the Water Beetle. But could this whole same plan be playing out once more and if so who was behind it? And more importantly why did this attack take place at the zoo?

"Were any of the animals missing?" I asked Marcone figuring that might be a decent lead.

"My source did not have that information." Marcone admitted. "The lead detective on the case was the one to talk with the staff and asked them to do an inventory of all the cages and see if any animals were stolen or there were any signs of tampering or other things out of the ordinary. They promised to call him with their results and so my source has not gotten wind of that information at the present." He finished.

"Really John?" I said with a sense of bewilderment. "You can't just call this detective up and get the information directly?" I chided him and happy to see his power had limits.

"I could, but I chose not to as a professional courtesy." He said. "A courtesy to the dead; but that was before I found out you were actually still alive. Would you prefer I call deal with Detective Stallings and his family myself or is this one of those matters you prefer to handle?" Marcone pulled no punches hinting at just what extremes he would consider to get information that he suspected would be vital. Yeah maybe I had negotiated that I was in charge of the investigation but he had no doubt which of us was really the puppet on the strings.

"I will go take care of it myself." I said. "Is there anything else that I should know about before I go?" I asked.

"Only that my associate Ms. Gard is checking out these events as well." He explained. "Since we were all under the false assumption that you were dead she took it upon herself to play magical detective and see what potential implications these events would have for me or my business. I expect to hear from her tonight and I will advise her that we are now working in alliance under the Accords but in case you two cross paths before I hear from her you should be advised she is out there."

Ms. Gard was a blonde Amazon woman nearly my height and packing almost as much muscle as Hendricks. I had seen her fight before and knew she was not someone I wanted to cross on purpose and certainly not by accident if this could be avoided. "I will keep a lookout for her." I confirmed but in reality I hoped to avoid that encounter if I could as it would likely get quite awkward and I really did not have time for awkward.

"I'm sure you will." Marcone said levelly. "Unless you have something further to share yourself I have nothing more of consequence at this time." He waited for my reply.

"Yeah I do." I said. "As you know I lost my apartment and office not to mention all my belongings." I said as a way to get to the point I was coming to.

"Are you asking for me to arrange a place to stay for you?" Marcone said with a hint of confusion.

"No I got that covered." I said. "What I could use though is some replacement mundane protection if you know what I mean." I said looking at Hendricks still holding his shotgun.

"I see." Marcone said with a smile. "Mr. Hendricks please lend your weapons to Mr. Dresden." He said and the big man did so handing over both the sawed off shotgun and the automatic pistol without even a moment of hesitation. Either he was really certain he could take me even though I was now armed and he was not, or his loyalty to following Marcone's orders was so absolute that he dared not question this.

"Those are clear weapons Mr. Dresden." Marcone said and I knew that he was not talking about the fact they had been recently checked and oiled but rather they were not attached to any unknown bullets in suspicious corpses. "As a profession courtesy I ask you either return them in the same condition or dispose of them if they get dirty." He said. That made sense. The last thing Marcone needed, as ironic as it would be, was getting tagged for a murder he had not actually ordered or committed.

"Not a problem." I said noting that Hendricks was taking off and handing me a sling for carrying the shotgun under a long coat just like the one I was wearing. This was going to be even better than I thought as I tucked the automatic in the duster's deep pockets and kept the shotgun in my hands but pointed in a safe direction as Marcone and I concluded our business.

"Then I will await your contact." He said turning and opening his own door while Hendricks got in behind the steering wheel.

Marcone stopped just before getting in. "And Dresden…" He said drawing my full attention. "Keep the hat. It suits you." He laughed at some obviously private joke and finished getting into the car before I could work up a suitable response. The BMW drove away leaving me standing there looking up at a battery operated clock on the way. The night was still early. I wondered what John Stallings was up to and just how I was going to explain being alive to him?

I drove slowly past the police station twice trying to confirm that Murphy's car was not in the parking lot. I had heard she was on suspension over what had happened at the FBI building and knew this was probably like a gut punch to her every waking moment of the day. Not only was her friend thought to be dead, but she, a trained detective, was not allowed to get involved in the investigation of his murder. Loyalty to friends and family was high on the list of Karrin Murphy's qualities and so this situation had to be one of the hardest that she had ever faced. I felt sorry for her and wished I could help lift the burden but until I knew who was behind the assassination I felt it was important that our paths did not cross; at least not until I was in a position to come clean on just what I was doing.

Alright the police station had cameras and metal detectors and while I was fairly sure I could sneak through if I had to, that was opening myself up to a set of really bad possibilities. Instead what I really needed was more neutral ground, neutral being the best I could hope for because all my normal options that would give me home court advantage had either blown up or burned down. This being Chicago however, I found a corner tavern a block away from the station that still had lights on. While I suspected it would cater to the occasional officer as a quick watering hole after their shift, it was also the only public place open in the immediate vicinity and was not overly lit up like an all night Walmart.

I parked the Mustang a block away and walked into the bar drawing attention from the bartender and the three patrons. "I just need to use your payphone." I said pointing to the big black callbox hanging just inside the door. The bartender finished drawing a glass of beer for the guy sitting alone at the bar and nodded for me to go ahead.

The good news was that I knew the station's number by heart because I had called Murphy there so many times. I dropped the required coins and called the number, tapping down all my emotions so I hopefully did not short the phone out before getting through. I asked the officer who answered for Detective Stallings and was happy to be put on hold while I was transferred. This meant he was likely on duty.

"John Stallings." The old, weary, yet tough as nails voice said by way of an introduction.

"Detective Stallings I am at the bar just down the street and I need to talk to you regarding a pair of cases you are working on." I said diving straight into the heart of the matter.

"Who is this?" He asked, but I had been prepared for that very question and responded immediately.

"You would not believe me if I told you." I said quite honestly.

"Can you come down to the station?" He asked and I heard him scribbling something down on paper, probably telling another officer to run a phone tap or something.

"I am afraid that is not possible." I replied.

"Well I'm afraid that I do not have the time for wild goose chases either." He said upping the ante.

I hated playing this card but I knew it was likely the only one I had that would work. "John, if you care about Karrin Murphy then you need to do as I asked and come over here to talk with me."

"Are you threatening her?" He said in a tone that was deadly serious and as intimidating as anything Marcone could say.

"No John." I replied calmly. "I'm trying to protect her. I am hoping I can convince you to do the same." I said.

"Give me ten minutes." He said after only a brief pause.

I hung up and thanked the bartender then went back outside and looked around. A meeting outside was not a good idea and it would put Stallings on the defensive based upon all the strange things he had encountered as a member of Special Investigations. The bar really was the only option open to me so I took a deep relaxing breath, prepared myself, and went right back inside this time heading directly over to the bar.

The bartender was on the phone when I walked in and he looked at me without any signs of recognition as he finished his phone call. "Yeah I think it's okay right now and everything seems to work though it was performing strange." He said acting like he was messing with one of the taps but still looking at me with too much intensity out of the corner of his eye. I got the sinking suspicion that Stallings had called the bar to confirm there was someone waiting for him and had just gotten the word there was indeed a someone and that while strange looking I did not appear to be looking for trouble. I was also glad I had left the shotgun on the floorboards of the Mustang instead of trying to wear it in where he might have noticed it.

"I'm just waiting on a friend if that will be alright." I said pointing to a table in the dark back corner away from the others. The bartender merely nodded and the fact that he did not demand that I buy a drink while I waited made me certain he had been talking to Stallings on the phone just a moment before. I took a chair and positioned it so I could watch everyone in the place, as well as the clock on the wall, and even the television above the bar while I waited for Stallings to get there.

He walked in with a minute thirty to spare telling me that he had taken my request very seriously and raced over here. His eyes glanced quickly to the others and the bartended who nodded in my general direction. I was thankful that he did not have the local SWAT team backing him up because when his eyes did finally land on me they were less than pleased.

He stalked over like a bear on the hunt but I remained sitting and did nothing even remotely aggressive as I waited for him to make the necessary greetings. "Harry Dresden is dead." He said staring at me like I had just betrayed him.

"Yeah you are the third person to tell me that tonight." I said honestly scooting a chair out with my foot and hoping he would take a seat.

"Are you aware of how many man hours the department is racking up looking for your killer?" He said slowly taking a seat and staring at me with smoldering fire in his eyes.

"John is the punishment for attempted murder all that much different than that for murder?" I asked.

He paused for a moment before responding. "No."

"So what is the problem then?" I asked hating to take this tact with this man who was just trying to do his job.

"The problem is Dresden that there are people out there grieving right now because they think you are dead." Stallings said in a tense whisper because his early statement had been made just a little too loudly and quieted all conversation in the bar so they could listen to ours.

I knew when he said 'people' that he was mostly talking about Murphy who had been his partner, his boss, and his subordinate. John was also one of the few officers old enough in Special Investigations to have known and worked with Karrin's dad when he was still on the force. Stallings had every right to be protective of her so I was not going to begrudge him his attitude on the pain she was going through.

"John, until we catch the shooter they are likely to keep trying if they think they missed." I said plainly. "Who knows who might be standing next to me the next time, or who might decide jumping in front of bullet meant for me was her sworn duty." I said referring to Murphy in everything but name. Her name was not required. John understood exactly what I meant and this went a long way toward cooling his temper.

"Alright maybe you got something there…" He said looking at the bartender. "Eddie draw me two if you would." He asked and the bartender pulled down two glasses and began to fill them from the tap.

"So why did you call and what do you need from me?" Stallings asked. I liked a man who got right to the point, providing he was not there to kill me. In those cases I was perfectly fine with the ones who took their time and did not mind beating around the bush.

"I heard your team is working something odd happened at the zoo last night." I said being equally blunt as the bartended laid our two glasses on the table and then backed away.

Stallings took a long draw and emptied half the glass. "Yeah we figure somehow the guards got too close to the wrong cages and got accidentally eaten. We are hoping they will turn up in the scat in the next couple of days and we can close the case."

Wow the extremes the human mind will go to avoid admitting there really might be monsters out there. And I had a sudden pity for whoever the poor patrolman was who got to play scat duty by prodding through the various animal dropping for the next three or four days.

"Were any of the animals missing?" I asked just as he was getting ready to finish off the second half of his beer. Instead he put it down and looked squarely at me trying unsuccessfully to catch my eyes under the rim of my new hat.

"Yeah one." He admitted. "Why? Does that mean something?" Having helped solve a bunch of SI's cases over the past decade or so John was used to me providing a different angle on things. He may not be a believer, but he was at least willing to listen to other options.

"What was it?" I asked. "A rhino?"

"No." He said. "It was a komodo dragon."

That struck me as odd. As far as I knew the komodo dragon was not one of those animals that people thought had mystical properties. At worst some people wanted them as chic pets. Why the heck then would something that ate two guards want a giant lizard? I hated to admit it but the answer did not come to me.

"That is a new one on me." I admitted sitting back in my chair as Stallings finished his beer.

"Would any religion be using it as a sacrifice in one of its rituals?" He asked me. Again being a wizard tends to make you a good source on all sorts of occult happenings. Stalling was not above using any source that he stumbled across.

"Not that I know of." I said honestly. "And that would not explain the eating of the guards. Why do you ask?" I said when I noted he was calculating something in his head.

"Because we found a note written in Latin at the scene." Stallings replied. "We have a professor coming over to translate the whole thing in the morning but one word kept popping up over and over so I Googled it."

"What did you get?" I asked.

"Blood."


	3. Chapter 3

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 3_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

I lay trapped in the same recurring dream I had every night since I had awoken in the Chicago hospital. This nightmare replayed the events of that horrible night over and over in my subconscious mind and made me reflect upon how I had not been there in the end when Harry really needed me. The dream left me trapped in the realm between not quite conscious and not completely unconscious and neither of these states were ready to fully claim me or allow the other to do so until the horrible dream had played itself out fully and completely once again.

Chichen Itza was one of those places that would have been a perfect setting for a classic Hollywood horror film. The jungle itself that surrounded the place was intensely beautiful in its vibrant colors that were perceptible on some levels even in the darkness. Still the mere density of the undergrowth and the natural noises of nocturnal hunters and prey made me intensely aware that things even more incredibly dangerous and evil could leap out from any of these patches at any second seeking to end out lives. This created an increasing tension in all of us though none dared to mention it that felt like a slowly increasing weight placed upon our bodies with every further step into the jungle that we took. The only thing that kept me from turning and fleeing was not wanting to disappoint my friends who stood beside me; and of course Harry for whom I would willingly do anything. I could sense from their emotions that many of the others in our little group felt very much the same.

When that jungle finally and regrettably surrendered to the deforested plains of the once great ancient city we gained no sense of relief that our nightmare was past. Instead, seeing the terrifying stone pyramids, remnants of an ancient Central American religion where millions had been sacrificed on these altars in order to offer their hearts to the gods and their blood to the most powerful vampires of the Red Court, made us all wonder if we charging ahead only to end up the same way ourselves. The thousands of torches on the central pyramid gave silent testimony to the size of the army awaiting us and these numbers were not even significantly lessened after Harry had destroyed hundreds of Red Court creatures with his first spell.

But even still we all knew this is what we faced when we agreed to come along. Our mission was not one of total war. It was not to put an end to all these human sacrifices once and for all; that would have been a task far too great for us to even consider when we set out on this quest. Instead our goal was only to rescue one single person from this fate, a child selected for the power of her bloodline, the daughter of my master Harry Dresden.

Were I to try I doubt that I could recall for you much of the battle that took place that night once the war truly began. Even my nightmares have been relatively vague of specifics of the spells that I cast and the effects that they had. I remember and relive only a running battle of magic where it seemed that at every step something that wished to kill me was trying its best to do so in the most horrible ways imaginable while I was doing everything I could, far more than I should have been able, to prevent this result from occurring.

Emotions like fear, one sensation I had in abundance, lends strength to magic and I used all I could for there was no limits to the fear available to me that night. Neither were there similar limits on the love that I felt for being in the company of such friends as these. Most of that was for my master Harry who I had realized for a long time now was the love I had always wanted; and who I swore only to tell if I knew that I was dying.

I thought that moment had arrived when a random bullet ricocheted off the stone floors to the side of me and bounced under my shield spell and below my armored vest that would have stopped it as well and struck me in left thigh feeling like a weird momentary tug in the midst of the battle. I had ignored it and fought on, my mind focused so totally upon my magic that I had not even registered the pain.

Through it all I also heard a soft female voice in my head offering me comfort and advice that I instinctively trusted. It was not a voice I had ever heard, yet one that was somehow completely familiar to me. I am not one that trusts easily, but in this case I had no doubts. It was this lack of doubt that sustained me.

It was not until we had been reinforced by a handful of members of the White Council and their kenku allies who beat back the Red Court counterattack on us that the pain suddenly made itself known to me. Harry had shouted at me, something to get my attention that it was time to move on to rescue his daughter, and I wanted to turn and be there for him as he asked. But at that point I could feel my own life slipping away. It was the time I had planned to tell him I loved him and always would but all I could do at that moment was smile; the words would not come. "Rest now child." The voice in my head commanded. "They time is nigh." I slipped back into a familiar warm unconsciousness wondering if I would ever awaken again.

I woke up from that event, and from each recurring nightmare since, in the hospital, not one aboard a military ship which Harry's brother Thomas said he had first taken me to in order to save my life, but instead in the Cook County Hospital in Chicago nearly a full day after the Navy had patched me up. The first time I awoke Thomas was still there beside me as he had promised his brother even though he himself was so pale and needed desperately to feed that he was close to death from exhaustion himself. He would not come near me though, fighting his own demons to keep them from feeding on me in my weakened state, and said he had stayed this long only because he needed to speak to me when I awoke.

"Harry Dresden is dead." Thomas had said in a voice and with words so far removed from emotion that you could not tell he was willing to admit even to himself that his only brother was dead. I can sense emotions in others and what scared me the most at that moment was that Thomas felt nothing. He had n rage, no grief, heck not even a sense of relief that Harry had moved on to Heaven, though I do not know if Thomas's personal beliefs as a White Court vampire even allowed for that. He had loved only three people in his life, a girl named Justine whose very touch now would literally burn his flesh, and his mother and Harry, the only true family he ever felt he had, who were now both dead long before their time.

"What?" I asked weakly trying to sit up in my bed but the tubes feeding into my arms and the wires attached to other parts of my body had me so tangled up that in my still weakened state I could not accomplish even this simple act. Thomas merely looked at me and nodded to confirm that what I had heard him say was true without offering me any further explanation. Then he left my room, his steps limping from his own injuries sustained, obviously exhausted, and in need of food.

The state of Illinois does not support euthanasia so unfortunately there is one wing of the hospital where the terminal patients waiting to die are kept on life support until God calls them home. On the night that Thomas left my bedside eleven of these patients died seemingly peacefully and without pain for their bodies all wore smiles when they were found less than an hour later. Another five or six of these patients reported seeing the beautiful angel Gabriel walking the corridors and collecting those who said they were ready to leave this life and mortal existence behind. As no surprise drugs showed up in the autopsies or any signs of violence were found on any of the bodies, the hospital chalked it up as a weird coincidence and tried to keep the event under wraps. However, the story of the Angle of Mercy at the Cook County Hospital was the headliner in the Arcane newspaper later that week.

In the last five days since that night Thomas had walked away he had not returned to check up on me though many others did, my family members of course most of all. They were happy to see me and even happier when the doctor told them that I was healing and would have full use of my leg if I stayed off it for a few weeks and let the muscles heal properly. My mom let them know that when they released me and I came home I would not stray from my bed. Even still with Charity Carpenter's promises the doctors wanted me to stay for a few more days at least to ensure there was no chance of infection setting in. I knew I was so pumped through of antibiotics that the chance of that happening was unlikely at best.

These visits though did allow me to catch up on the other details that Thomas had not spoken of. I learned first that our mission had been successful and that Harry's daughter was safe under Father Forthill's watchful eye and protection.

I also learned of Susan's sacrifice and the death of the entire Red Court. That news had been spoken of by others but it was Warden Luccio who came by and as wizard to wizard told of the last minutes as she had learned of them from Wizard McCoy.

She also said that many of the younger wizards had petitioned for an honorary statement from the Merlin be made for Harry Dresden and that he be nominated up to serve out of sequence as the next member of the Senior Council for destroying the enemy who had slaughtered so many of our numbers. This movement was quashed by a combination of a Wizard Cristos's speech and a block of votes claiming the war only came about because of Harry Dresden in the first place. He even went so far as to translate and paraphrase Shakespeare for the cultured crowd claiming he came to Edinburgh 'not to praise Dresden but to bury this terrible idea.'

The two factions of Cristos's block and the young wizards looked ready to trade spells and blows over this issue until its death knell was sounded by no less than The Merlin himself who said the White Council was not a military service offering medals for those who performed duties (to appease Wizard Cristos's block, even exceptional ones (to appease the younger wizards), or to offer promotion out of cycle even for honorable traits of heroism that Wizard Dresden displayed by killing our enemies. The last slight was a warning aimed at Wizard Cristos since everyone knew he had been elevated out of sequence to the Senior Council strictly for politics.

Warden Luccio also asked me what I knew about Harry and if the rumors of his death were true. I told her of course that I did not know, as I'd been confined to this bed to heal, and that I only had the police stories and speculations of friends to based that on. I had not seen him I admitted, which I sensed was the real reason for her visit, but I also said this was not the first time someone had thought they had killed Harry only to find out to their surprise they had been wrong. We agreed that without a body, Harry would be listed in the wizard roles as merely as missing under mysterious circumstances, at least for the time being.

She wished me well and told me to contact her if I needed anything, which really meant if I heard anything about my master. I shook my head thought did not actually say I would. Hey, unlike words, a head shake I could say was induced not by my agreement but rather because of the state of physical health and exhaustion I was in. She left and I spent hours alone thinking over the implications of what she had said – and more importantly those things she had not said.

The good side though was by keeping me in the hospital that meant there were long stretches at night when visiting hours were over and my family and friends politely prodded from the room where I could grieve over my worry and loss without the others seeing me. My family had heard about the attack on Harry and took it stoically, my dad most of all saying he did not think God had called Harry home just yet. The look in his eyes though betrayed emotions of love, faith, and optimism rather than the cold reality of facts upon which he made this statement.

My oldest brother Daniel knew my feelings for Harry thanks to the soulgaze we had shared, but he said nothing about what I may be feeling to me or any of the rest of my family as far as I could tell. I suspected that my dad might know as well but again he also ever spoke of it to me. Instead like my dad did my entire life, he just always seemed to know the exact right time to pat my hand in comfort if I thought about Harry. I guess being the Hand of God who had wielded the Sword of Love, _Amoracchius_, might give someone an advantage when seeing this feeling in others.

It was my mother Chairty that I worried most about. Mom had never been fond of Harry until he had literally offered up his own life to save mine. At that point he was begrudgingly considered family, but still one she had to actively work to accept. And while she had come a great distance in forgiving him for the inadvertent pain our family had faced when he was around, all bets would be off if she even suspected there was anything remotely romantically physical between him and I. I kept silent on this even though she was probably the one person in my family who could really understand my feelings because we were so much alike.

When she had been about my age her life had been rescued by my father from a dragon of all things if the parts of stories I had finally pieced together were true. It was not that my father was incredibly handsome or that he was a literal knight in shining armor that had rescued her that had been the source of her love for him. It was because he was one of those rare breeds of men who willingly placed their life on the line to rescue others not for profit but because it was the right thing to do. Guys, girls may be attracted to bad boys at certain aspects of their life, but there are few women who do not want to have the 'good man' as their partner for life and the father of their children.

I admit that I chose not to talk to my mom about how I was feeling even though I knew she could offer me the best advice and comfort. I told myself that it was because I did not want to allow her to have any cause not to pray that Harry would be found alive. On the whole, Charity Carpenter's prayers tended to get answered more often than any person that I had ever heard of. And so my mom did not ask me about my feelings for Harry either because she could sense I was not ready to talk about it. She did not get this from being a sensitive mage like me attuned to feeling, but rather because she was my mom and had known me all my life.

Some of Harry's other friends came by to see me as well in those first few days. Will the Werewolf, yes he is an honest to goodness werewolf, came by once to sit with me and told me about a group of bad guys from the 'spooky' side of things that he and Murphy had taken down the night before. These predators had kidnapped Will's wife Georgia, also a werewolf, who was pregnant as well and were part of a larger group throughout the country that was trying to collect and sell people like him and I with unique magical abilities. Will's visit then had been to not only check up on me but to tell me that Murphy had decided that all of Harry's friends were going to protect the city against magical intrusions like this until he returned. Like my father Will and Murphy's claim was based completely upon hope but not a tremendous amount of factual underpinning that it would happen.

Murphy came by every other day as well. Being able to sense emotions I knew that if anyone took Harry's death as hard as me it would be Murphy. Normally in such a crisis she would have immersed herself into police work as a means to deal with her pain, but since our raid down in Mexico Murphy had been suspended from the force pending a performance review. She told me on one such visit that she believed this time they were going to take her badge once and for all if not trying to arrest her on some trumped up charge.

Gentleman Johnny Marcone had offered through a proxy to get her job back but Karrin was not one to compromise or accept a favor that might later get called in. She could look herself in the mirror and accept that the price to be paid was worth the actions she had performed and the lives she had saved. Like Harry, Murphy was another of those self-sacrificing types who lived on their own terms.

But even with this life changing event hanging over her head, Murphy did not let it keep her from trying to make me smile with Harry stories and keep me up to date on the investigation into his disappearance. She still had friends on the force and these friends were willing to feed her off the record information about the disappearance someone the entire unit of Special Investigation had considered one of their own.

My only other visitor was one inside my own head. It was the same motherly sounding voice that had offered me advice when we were down in Mexico; one that I seemed to recognize yet could not place. It sounded at times like my own mother offering me words of comfort in my dreams. At other times I could feel it charged with some sort of odd energy, like it was waiting for me to do or say something important though I did not know what. For a time I suspected it was the Leanansidhe, Harry's literal faerie godmother who had fought with us in Mexico, but while the voice seemed similar to the Fae Handmaiden's, there was a strange benevolence and honest caring in her words it that seemed out of place for the coldly deadly faerie I had fought beside.

"Prepare yourself child." The voice said to me in my dreams. "The time of thy ascendency grows near."

Murphy arrived that morning looking haggard around her eyes from a lack of sleep but still more energized in her body than I had seen in her last few visits. I knew at once she had something important to share with me. She scanned the hallway and the room I lay in looking for someone or something, then leaned over my bed and whispered right in my ear. "Someone who looks like Harry was seen last night."

She drew away from me with just a fleeting glimmer of what might be madness in her eyes; the formidable desire in your heart for something to be true even though your mind knows that it is not. Don't get me wrong, I did not think Karrin was close to losing it, declaring herself to be the reincarnation of Willy Wonka and deciding to reach out and gather up a group of Oompa Loompas to make chocolates for all the wonderful kiddies in the world or anything. Murphy would never break like that.

Instead I knew the greater danger is she would merely stray from the ideals she had so long lived by. The exhaustion she felt, both emotional and physical, was eating away at her and she was not ready to face it yet or better still overcome it. Like me, she had never told Harry how she really felt about him, or had done so only in such a way as to keep him at arm's length. In truth though what she really wanted was for him to ignore what she said was the right thing for them to do and instead sweep her up and love her so unconditionally that even if her mind swore it was wrong, her heart would shout those thoughts down. A part of her expected him to be the one to rescue that little part inside her that still wished for a good man to accept her for who she was and still sweep her off her feet.

The problem was that these days the average woman was lucky to meet one guy in this lifetime capable of that. And Karrin Murphy was now lying awake each night wondering why she had never recognized she wanted it and told him how she felt. This was tough for a woman who had the strength to face down both common villains and uncommon vampires but not the feelings in her own heart. Murphy was coming to consider that she had lost her one chance to be truly happy forever. And I knew just how she felt.

"Really?" I asked wanting to scoot up now more than ever but still mostly tied up like a kitten who had lost a battle with a ball of string. "What did you hear?" I asked seeking more information.

She looked at me and then pulled a chair over as near to the bed as she could so she did not have to speak too loud. Her hand also rested on my arm and slowly played the itsy bitsy spider walk. I knew immediately what she was concerned about.

If Harry was not dead then he was still wanted for questioning by the FBI and the Chicago Police for the destruction of two building and the attack on the FBI offices as well. It would not take anything more than a sympathetic judge and a story of a potential terrorist on the loose to get the warrant to put an electronic microphone in my room in case Harry came by or one of his friends told me where he was. Of course that was a situation I as a wizard was uniquely suited to dealing with.

I pulled my magic in and when I had enough I imitated a sneeze and called out my command word. "Hexus!" I said letting my magic short out the machines they had me linked up to as well as the television in the corner with a cascade of sparks. The spell might have been a wee bit stronger than I intended and reached further down the hall than I had intended as electronics all over the floor felt the effect. Thankfully the florescent lights in the room only flickered for a moment before coming back on fully. I did not see any telltale sparks or smoke from hidden recording devices but if there were indeed any in the room I was pretty certain they were dead now.

Murphy smiled at me and shook her head realizing what I had done but not particularly unhappy about it. An orderly popped his head into the room almost immediately noting my machines had died as well as my television. "Are you alright miss?" He asked showing he was more than a bit shaken about my smoking electronic medical equipment. I started to tug on the wires connected to me and he came to my bedside.

I nodded my head. "What was that?" I asked innocently, an acting skill I had perfected in dealing with my mother. I lifted my arms and he began disconnecting me from the machines for safety sake. The hospital's insurance company would not be pleased if they let a patient with a gunshot wound that was healing well get electrocuted and die because of faulty equipment and power surges I guess. I assumed there was probably a whole stack of messy paperwork for events like that.

"It must have been a power surge or something." The orderly said somewhat sheepishly confirming my own thoughts as he pushed the machines away from the bed which allowed me freedom to move normally except for my bandaged leg. "I'll be back to swap out your equipment but I need to check on the other patients on this floor first." I nodded and he left.

"You know how much equipment like that stuff costs?" Murphy asked me with a look of shock but still a smile.

"You know how much these guys charge for staying here?" I asked remembering the one bill from the hospital that I had seen when my dad had been critically injured over a year ago. I had originally paid it myself only to come to find out one of the city's most distinguished citizens, Gentleman John Marcone no less, had informed the hospital and the insurance company that he would take care of all the bills personally. Marcone decided this was only fair as my father had been critically injured risking his life rescuing the gangster from fallen angels in the first place.

Murphy let this subject go and decided that now was the best chance for us to talk without being overheard. "Stallings met with someone last night that looked just like Harry, someone the right height that was wearing the same coat and carrying a staff." Murphy explained.

"He told you that?" I asked.

"No." She replied. "Another officer I know saw them meet in a cop bar. He was the one who told me originally." She explained and then her emotions took on a little sense of disappointment. "When I called and asked John about it he was evasive and refused to say anything which makes me certain something weird took place at least."

This was dangerous ground we were considering and I could not afford to get things wrong. "Karrin, we both know Harry and the kinds of things he dealt with. While he has survived some pretty hairy things in the past, there are also a sufficient number of people out there who would like to tarnish his image too." I cautioned her subtly to remind her of the fight she and Will had gotten involved with just the other night. "Let's take this slowly and see if we can figure out what is going on."

"I thought I was the detective." She said with a smile but also a nod that said she agreed.

"You…" I almost said 'were.' "…are." I said after a delay. She looked at me knowing exactly what I had almost said but being comfortable with her choices did not take that near slip up of truth serious.

"I may not have my badge." She said with a smile. "But I still know how to follow a lead."

"Okay then let's start from the top." I said. "Tell me everything you heard, especially the details and let's see if between the two of us we can come up with what is really going on."

"That is exactly the problem." She said. "I gave you everything that I have on this already. All I know is that someone dressed just like Dresden and also carrying a staff called and met with Stallings last night. Since Harry's wardrobe is not exactly current Chicago fashion that means the person wore this getup specifically by choice and so with the intent of looking like Harry. And since John Stallings seemed to chat with him like an old friend then it seems most likely that the person in question actually looked and sounded enough like Harry to a well seasoned detective. That or who he really was meeting with was the real Harry Dresden." Murphy explained.

"Okay, as I see it this allows for three separate possibilities. First, some normal person is out there imitating Harry for some reason. Second, someone or something with magical talent is out there imitating Harry for some reason. Third, Harry Dresden is still alive and met with Stallings himself." Let's break these down and see where each of these takes us." I said.

"First, why would a normal person bereft of magical ability choose to dress up like the wizard Harry Dresden and then go talk to a cop who knows Harry personally and has a good chance of realizing he is not the genuine article?" I asked. "I mean that makes no sense to me."

"That is actually not as uncommon a scenario as you might think." Murphy said straight faced with just a hint of a shake of her head. "Besides the occasional criminals who actually pretend to be friends of the victim in order to talk to the police to learn how close they are to solving the crime, there are also the ones that hang around in the crowd when a body is discovered to see what they left behind that the police find." Murphy explained. "That is why cops always take pictures of the crowd and interview anyone who has an unnatural interest in the case." She paused and then added to her explanation. "There is also a small group of individuals who like to dress up like cops and go out to 'serve and protect' in their neighborhoods."

"Sort of like the imitation Batmans, Batmen, Bat dudes in The Dark Knight movie?" I asked.

"Yep just like that." She said obviously not trying to decide what the true plural for Batman was and solve that particular eternal mystery for comic book fans everywhere.

"Yeah, even so, don't you think Stallings would have recognized the fake?" I asked. "I mean he has known Harry for nearly a decade or so right? You really think someone just acting could pull that type of performance off to a cop?"

Murphy thought about it for only a moment before responding. "No." She said at last. "Not without a Hollywood makeup artist and a whole lot of studying on how Dresden walked, talked, and everything else he did. And anyone who was that close we would all know about and no one comes to mind for me that fits those requirements."

"Me either." I agreed. "Okay so we can eliminate ninety nine percent of the world's population from our suspect list." I said since normals were not likely. "So why would either someone gifted with magic or a being from the Nevernever choose to imitate Harry in order to talk to a cop who knows Chicago's most famous wizard?" I asked moving to my second group.

"Like you said earlier, there is the possibility of someone out there who wants to tarnish his image." Murphy replied. "The problem with that line of thought though is the simple fact that Harry does not really have all that stellar an image to begin with." She said with a laugh that was laced with heavy doses of honesty and irony.

"That is very true." I agreed. "It's not like he is Brad Pitt and he was voted one of People Magazine's one hundred most interesting people. In fact Harry's few appearances on television were enough to basically tarnish his own image to such a point that more people took him as a joke than seriously so why would someone else want to take that upon themselves?"

"Yep." Murphy nodded. "Most people I have talked to believed your boss was a nut job. The only ones who knew better were those of us who had regular dealings with him and knew the man."

"So someone intends to ruin Harry's image with one or more of his friends?" I asked skeptically. "For what purpose?"

Murphy sat there for almost a full minute without saying anything as her detective mind rolled down a list of possibilities and motivations that were behind most crimes. Imitating Harry was not going to get you rich or get you laid, hell it had not done it for the real Dresden so how did some second rate imitator think he would pull it off instead?

"Revenge is the only one that has any possibility. I heard that someone reported to SI that they observed a group of thirty exactly similar guys robbing a jewelry store. That sounds to me like that guy Binder may be back in town. Harry forced him to leave under less that cordial conditions so he might have the incentive to do something to balance out that score." Murphy informed me but even the look she wore said the details did not match what we were speculating. "But really if Harry is thought to be dead then what revenge does our actor get by pretending to be him?"

"Unless his goal is to hurt those who cared about Harry by making us think he might still be alive." I said taking that line of thought out to its natural conclusion. "That is rather twisted and knowing the power of Harry's friends and what they would do when they found out I would consider that damn near a suicide pact."

"Yeah, I can't really see that either." Murphy agreed. "Besides if they wanted to hurt us then we would be the ones seeing Harry. I would not have even heard about this Harry Dresden encounter if one of my friends from the academy had not been in the bar and passed it along."

"Okay so we eliminate evil intentions." I said. "What about the other side of the coin?" I asked.

"Good intentions?" Murphy asked. "Doesn't that bring us right back to the phony Batman plot again?"

"It does, but there is also no intentions." I said. "The phages that I faced liked to imitate movie monsters to create fear. Maybe there is some other creature that feeds of imitating people." My friend Hisha the Raksasha came immediately to mind but I knew the holy man would not do such a thing and certainly not without first informing me of his plan so not to cause me the hurt we just discussed. Based on the last letter from him I received two weeks ago he was still in a Buddhist temple in Tibet playing chess with a physically restored Lord Kline the nine foot troll.

"Are there such creatures as that?" Murphy asked.

"Not that I personally know of." I replied reasoning that the raksasha would only imitate a person for a purpose not just for purely for the entertainment of doing so.

"So we are back to Batman again." Murphy said bringing the conversation around once more to this point. "But who exactly would want to do something like that?" She asked me in a tone that had just a little more inquisitiveness to it than a simple question between friends. Hell I realized, Murphy was actually interrogating me without me even knowing it!

There was a convenient knock on the door before I could respond and the young orderly came back into the room. "I need to change your bandages before I start removing all this equipment." He said coming over to the side of the bed where my left leg lay wrapped and supported in a sling so I could not move it much and disturb the healing process.

His timing was perfect. "Hey doc." I said since I did not know the proper term for an orderly. He had a pair of those funny curved scissors and was carefully cutting away the wrapping on my leg and looking for blood in the process so did not respond but I could tell he was listening as he looked at my bandages. Thankfully there was only a few drops of dark red on the white absorbent cloth. "When do you think I can start walking around again?" I asked without even looking at Murphy to tell her that I understood her game. "I mean all this lying in bed is driving me nuts."

The orderly looked at the wound and then back at me. "Based upon the scabbing and edges healing you are showing phenomenal progress." He said with a smile as he put fresh gauze over the wound and began to wrap it again. "But if you walk on your leg now you will open the wound up completely again and have a good chance of bleeding out. Or worse still you could disturb a clot and give yourself a stroke and live as a vegetable the rest of your life." He explained taping off the wrappings. "No you need two or three more days before we can get you a wheelchair or a pair of crutches for a little mobility. And before you ask, even then you will probably have to use those for another month at least."

He finished up and left and I turned to Murphy and without giving away that I knew her game, I asked a question. "So where were we again?" I asked. "You were saying something about someone friendly with Harry imitating him for what purpose?"

Murphy looked at me and then shrugged. "I really have no clue." She said. "But let's start with if such a thing were even possible."

"Sure." I said pulling magic to me and calling out a small spell. "_Noctus ex illuminus_." I called out and suddenly it was not Molly Carpenter in the bed but instead Harry Dresden.

"You missed the scar on his eyebrow." Murphy said examining my work with a critical eye and finding a flaw immediately.

"I was only making a point." I said letting the spell fade away so that I would not tire myself out. The whole point of a hospital bed was to force me to rest so unnecessary spell slinging was probably a bad idea.

"So it can be done." Murphy said. "Is it a fairly simple spell?"

"It is for me because I am a sensitive magic wizard." I said. "My strengths lie in emotions and sensory-based spells. But these skills are really rare even among wizards. Most wizards in the White Council are the offensive combat types like Harry but not nearly as powerful. They could cast these types of spells too, just as I can cast fire spells, but they would break down relatively quickly." I explained as best I could.

"That is why Harry had you cast the illusion spell in Mexico and why he had to concentrate so hard for just a couple minutes when we used illusions in the FBI building." Murphy said.

"Yep." I agreed. "How long was 'Harry' talking to Stallings last night?" I asked Murphy.

"About ten minutes according to my source." Karrin said.

"That is possible then." I replied. "But for most of the combat wizard types that would really be pushing the edge of their endurance for this kind of magic I think."

"If that is true then it can't be combat wizards." Murphy replied.

"Why?"

"Because the same guy was in the bar for nearly ten minutes before Stallings even arrived and looked like Harry that entire time as well." Murphy explained. "If combat wizards would have a hard time with ten minutes then I assume twenty minutes would…"

"…yeah probably would be impossible without complete concentration." I said. "No way a combat wizard was holding a conversation and keeping up an illusion that long."

"What about the High Council?" Murphy asked. "Harry always said they were the most powerful wizards. Could they have pulled off something of that duration?"

"Probably." I said. "But the majority either hated Harry and would be glad that he was dead, or they were generally indifferent to him except when their paths crossed and would likely have little motivation to meet with a Chicago police officer just to talk. If they needed some information that Stalling had they likely have other magical means at their disposal that was far more direct and certain to get the results with all the deception. I could not even imagine Harry's mentor Wizard McCoy who was the closest to him on the Senior Council doing such a thing when he has pulled satellites from orbit to make his points in the past."

I decided to push the subject back at her now that she understood everything involved. "You know there really is only one wizard we know of who has the means and motive, as you cops like to call it, to pull off something like this." I said turning her suspicions back on her.

"Yeah, you." She agreed not quite reading my mind but having the respect for me to acknowledge her suspicions. "But unless you had the convenient Doctor Frankenstein wannabe on call for this meeting and his speech was all rehearsed ahead of time before he came in to change your bandages then you lack that little element that we police detectives like to call opportunity." Murphy replied with her own smile. "I'm sorry but I had to know for sure." She apologized.

"Trust me Karrin." I said. "I'm pretty sure I would have thought the same thing as you did if I had heard of it." I let that comment hang in the air. "So what are you going to do now?" I asked because I knew Karrin was not one to let things like this just drop.

"Well, as they never found Harry's body there is always the third option that he is still out there." Murphy replied as she stood up and pushed the chair back in the corner. "I think I'm going home to catch up on my sleep." She said. "Since I do not have an actual job to go to anymore I figure maybe I will spend my nights listening to the police scanners as I drive around looking for a wizard here in the city that everyone thinks is dead."

"You mean you actually think it's possible?" I asked letting a bit of emotion into my own heart as well.

"From this point on until I get definitive proof otherwise yes I do!" Murphy said with a new look of determination in her still tired eyes. "From this moment until that proof becomes available I say Harry Dresden is alive!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 4_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

The annoying squawk box next to the ten foot tall heavy perimeter fence gate informed me but of course because it was the latest in high tech it was only barely able to work through the high pitched static and ear piercing whine. Picture the worse drive thru experience of your life and you are likely getting close to exactly what I was facing except of course you would have the off chance of actually getting food eventually and I was sitting out here in the dark and suddenly hungry. But hey, it's not like I hadn't figured this night was going to be complicated from the very get go or anything. Some nights it is just better not to get out of bed.

The fact that the one key piece of evidence in Stallings case had been a note written in Latin, which was for the last two thousand years the preferred language for high end magical related conversations, and that this letter referred prominently and multiple times to 'blood' was disturbing. It was certainly not the best bit of news for me to focus all my thoughts upon for almost the full day when almost the only other thing I had to do is sleep. You know how people say they will catch up on their sleep when they are dead? Take it from me after about a week of catch up you really would like a video game or television or something to tide you over. Being a wizard normally books satisfied these occasional types of cravings for time fillers but my best source had been in the apartment and were turned to ashes and as I was dead it would not be good for me to appear on a Barnes and Noble camera since the FBI had the ability to search bookstores nowadays.

So I stewed on the word blood as I waited until eight o'clock that night before deciding it was time to risk going out or else going totally bonkers. I established a new type of temporary ward on my current place of residence to subtly deter those who might be snooping on me. Since it was not technically a place I owned or rented I felt it was wrong to go with the types of wards that could cause real damage or death. Besides those types of big noisy wards merely told people that a wizard was about and that was something I wanted to avoid.

Turning back to the discussion on blood, I knew there is lots of things in the magical side of the world that deal directly with blood. There are the types of creatures that feel off of it, most notably like the Red and Black Court vampires. There are the magical connotations of using it as a spell component such as for use in creating a mystical circle or even as an ingredient in some types of potions. Then there is the intrinsically value that some otherworldly beings place on it, making the collection of blood types such as Super Bowl quarterback, college virgin, or the rarest of all – honest politician, as pleasing a hunt as some humans find with stamp collecting. And lastly, there were beings who merely liked its color and used the fluid for painting; mostly just ghastly pictures but sometimes rooms or even entire homes. For all I knew the note Stallings had found was a reminder to some immortal demon to pick up paint supplies on the way home before starting his masterpiece work of the rare maroon komodo dragon.

From a private detective standpoint the easiest and most direct thing to do would be to call Stallings and see if he had the note translated yet. However, as the private detective who should be dead which makes you a fugitive on the run from the FBI calling the station again, especially this early when everyone was still awake, overrode the direct approach in my book.

With a little time to reassess I figured having gone to see him last night was not probably the brightest thing I had ever done if I was trying to stay low key and figure out what was going on in Chicago since my 'death.' Unfortunately I had to confirm what Marcone had said and without all his contacts calling Stallings direct had been my only option and it had worked though in a somewhat limited fashion. Now though I had to figure out a way to learn what that note actually said because it was likely the only way I was going to really find out what was happening. That meant calling Stallings. But still I'd put that on the backburner until later when I had no other choice. I considered myself a private detective so I needed to look to other ways of figuring things out.

I figured I would start at the top of my hit list. As I said there are certain types of magically related beings who have a disproportional interest where blood is concerned; vampires being the most notable. The fact that this incident at the zoo was coming down within a week of the destruction of the vampires of the Red Court who fed off of blood made for an interesting coincidence that deserved investigation at the very least.

The spell that had killed off the court had been truly powerful and mostly fueled by blood sacrifices, but I had no way to know if it had been one hundred percent successful or merely just ninety nine. What I had been told was that the spell was designed to kill only those of one family bloodline, not everyone through the six degrees of separation. Maybe there were more Red Court families than the primary one we had taken down. The White Court I knew was that way. Therefore, it seemed that investigating if there was traditional blood sucking vampire activity in the city of Chicago seemed a good place to start tonight.

When looking for this kind of information there really are only two reliable sources a person can go to without having to call up demons and make infernal bargains. The first is by regular ground pounding by checking up with the local morgues for bloodless corpses or with law enforcement authorities for a sudden spike in missing persons.

The problem with both of these was again that minimizing my contact with the police remained an important factor in my life and freedom of movement at the moment. My regular contact down at the morgue, Waldo Butters, unrecognized polka star to the royal families of Europe, was also not someone I could safely speak with just yet. Just a week ago a paid hit man had put two nine millimeter rounds in his back from nearly point blank range just because Butters happened to be standing between me and the gunman. If Waldo had not been wearing a bullet proof vest the world of polka would have suffered a tragic loss that night it might never recover from. I was sure the bruises from those rounds had not faded yet. Therefore I had to keep him ignorant of my condition until I was in a better position to protect him.

More importantly I also recognized that if vampires were indeed behind what was going on they would be overly cautious because of the near total extinction of their species and therefore would be scrambling to recover whatever power they might retain. It only made sense then that when they fed these creatures would go to far greater lengths to hide or dispose of the bodies they left behind so any hunters out there looking for them would have a more difficult time of it. So it was unlikely the police would be able to shine any light beyond more people than normal were being reported as missing at the moment. And unfortunately spikes like that were not as rare an occurrence in a city the size of Chicago as you might expect.

The second option I had for learning if vampires were operating in the city was by checking with those who would also feel the effects of these outsiders in town; those mainly being the ones who were already in town. Predators from the animal level to the immortal instinctively understand when new hunters come into their established territory to poach. Few rarely suffered such challenges to their authority quietly and even if this were allowed, those who claimed dominance closely monitored the situation to ensure it did not get out of hand and impact their own interests directly.

In Chicago, since the beginning of the war between the Red Court and the White Council when Bianca's house mysteriously burned to the ground thanks to a rather rash wizard, the White Court of vampires held the dominant predator role. Reds still came to town after that, but mostly as spies or hit teams, not in an attempt to reestablish a power base of their own.

The Black Court was even less seen as they remained few in number after centuries of being actively hunted down. One Black had come back to the city a few years ago seeking revenge for insults she had suffered as a mortal but I had dealt with her and her underlings permanently through liberal doses of pizza shop garlic powder.

The only real Black Court vampire that posed significant concern was a rather powerful one called Marva who has crossed my path a few times over the last few years and lived – unlived?- to tell the tale. I learned she was also a rather skilled wizard, nearly on par with the higher echelons of the White Council, and this was in addition to her vampiric abilities. All of which put her on my mental list as one of those beings I wanted to avoid if at all possible.

So since the police were out of the question as a vampire hunting source I figured the White Court was my next best option for determining if there were other vampires about in our fair city. Normally my relationship with Thomas would have provided me the perfect means to get this question answered without a lot of huff, but again he was another link to the life of Harry Dresden that I did not want to talk with just yet. That meant instead I needed to speak off the record with his older sister Lara who was in fact the true power behind the throne in the White Court.

I also figured if anyone would be okay with me 'rising from the dead' and still keeping it a secret it would have to be a vampire right? Of course that meant actually getting past her security in order to talk to her in the first place, which brings me back to my current situation of sitting outside the White Court mansion and talking on a failing two way security system.

"Look I said I have a message about Harry Dresden and can you please tell Ms. Lara Raith that I need to speak to her immediately?" I said while sitting in the Mustang and staring at the security camera which was likely not working well either.

"Harry Dresden is dead and Ms. Raith is currently entertaining guests." The guard said twice through the static before I was able to understand him. I knew there was an incredibly wide variation on just what Lara Raith might be doing by 'entertaining guests.' Some of which would be so benign to merely make the average dominatrix blush but others might actually require an emergency Council of Cardinals at the Vatican to see if the seven deadly sins need to be amended to include one or two more items due to her creativity. Lara Raith was like any woman, only more so, and so disturbing her in the midst of something like this would not be taken lightly. Thankfully the guard provided another option that might allow both of us to live through the night. "If there is another member of her family that you would like to speak with who is not equally engaged I can try to contact them for you."

Well the guard was trying to be helpful at least. Unfortunately the only other member of the family that I could talk to would be Thomas and like I said that was a nonstarter before I gave it any additional consideration. But then why did I have to restrict myself only to family when there was another viable option that might work almost as well as the Lady of the Court as well? "Is Ms. Raith's assistant Justine perhaps available?" I asked knowing that Justine would not be actively partaking of these same activities as her mistress so providing she was not out running an errand for Lara she should be free to at least speak with me through the security system.

"I will go check. Please pull your car over to the parking area to let other traffic through. There are additional guests arriving for tonight's event. Someone will be with you momentarily." The guard responded with an obvious sense of relief in his voice and then likely started trying to track down Justine as I did what was asked and parked the car.

I did so none too soon for a vehicle that had all the standard hallmarks of an actual City of Chicago school bus pulled up to the gate and was almost immediately waved through by guards standing nearly invisible inside behind bulletproof statuary. The guards were carrying automatic weapons, likely with armor piercing or fragmentation rounds, which made me both happy I had not more forcefully pushed my case for entrance and long for the protective wards that used to strengthen the previous duster.

The bus was actually filled with people dressed in letterman jackets, preppy private school clothes, cheerleader uniforms, and of course a smattering of Catholic schoolgirl outfits. Thankfully all those dressed up looked to be older than the age of consent by at least a year or two. All of them, boys and girls, were also incredibly attractive. I no longer sat there wondering just what was on the literal menu for Lara Raith and company tonight; I knew right then what those of the White Court considered 'the other white meat.'

It took about ten minutes of further waiting until headlights far up the driveway began making their way through the tree lined and curving driveway toward this gate before stopping. The same pair of guards once more emerged from their hidden observation points and this time opened only the smaller personal access gate to allow me to enter before pointing me with a word spoken to the same white limousine, or one at least very similar, that that I had rode in before from the gate to the manor house. Yes the driveway of the Raith estate was so long as to require vehicle transportation to the house. The family undoubtedly paid more in property taxes alone to the State than I have ever made in a single year.

The driver held the door and I got inside the back of the car, expecting an escort at least like the previous times but instead there was only the driver. He got back into his own seat and noted my look of confusion. "The Raiths did not wish you to think that you were building up any obligation with the family by accepting their personal hospitality so I was told to inform you that you would instead be met once we reach the manor."

I merely grunted in affirmative and leaned back into the farthest seat in the rear of the car that was almost the area of a king sized bed. Know the proclivities of the White Court's tastes I was happy that there was a faint smell of disinfectant and leather cleaner on all of the seats and forced myself not to think of why someone thought that particular bit of cleaning was necessary. It was not that I was particularly afraid of the idea of vampires and people having sex, I just did not need that particular portion of my mind engaged on the concept right before I spoke to Lara Raith.

The drive took nearly three minutes and we were moving at about forty miles an hour so I leave it to you to do the math on just how long that driveway really is. Thankfully there were no issues during that time from the mundane ones of the car breaking down because of my presence, to the only slightly less uncommon attack on the car itself with bullets, explosions, magic, or by hell spawned beasts. Really I must admit, my life is fairly interesting when you look at it objectively.

I would have opened the door myself once we stopped but of course those living in style do not ever open their own doors so there was no handle on the inside to be able to perform that particular action. The driver or another servant literally had to open the door from the outside. And before you think what a death trap this would be for the head of the White Court to be trapped in, consider that I have seen Lara tear through things just like this door with as little effort as if she were crushing a beer can and you would understand her security was not ever compromised.

In this case it was Justine who opened the door. She was a girl of only average height, extended upward only slightly at the moment by proper business-like white leather two inch heels. Along with the shoes she wore an expensive tailor made three piece sliver sheen white suit with actual pure silver buttons that screamed both efficiency and elegance. This matched perfectly to her ivory skin and silver white hair that was pulled back into a professional ponytail that hung down to her shoulders and the simple pearl earrings that dangled from each lobe.

The only non off-white colors that broke through this image were the sparkling blue of her eyes which showed just a slight sense of surprise that I was actually getting out of the car, and the pair of rich blood red roses, one which she wore in her lapel and a second one that she held out for me to take and wear as well.

"Um where I come from the guy usually brings the beautiful girl the flowers." I said with a smile hoping to make her relax and eventually get her on my side. I would need Justine's help if I was going to get to talk to Lara anytime soon.

It took her a moment to process it and she smiled but did not respond to that bit of flattery directly. "The red rose should be worn tonight for it symbolizes that you are not part of the activities of the evening."

"So it's sort of like a get out of jail free card?" I asked sticking the stem through the highest button hole on my coat.

"Exactly." She agreed and turned bidding me to follow her to one of the smaller and more private parlors. From the sounds of music and other activities taking place down the hall I was happy once she closed the thick door that Lara had insisted on good soundproofing when she had remodeled this place after my last visit and the unexpected arrival of a skinwalker.

Justine sat behind the grand desk that was the central piece of furniture in the room while I took one of the chairs across from her. The desk sat incredibly high and the chair low and deep so that by sitting in my chair I could just barely see over the top of the desk. The girl's eyes flashed quickly to two spots to her left and right communicating to me that we were likely being observed or at least listened to by some sort of devices. Providing it was not Thomas on the other end, I was okay with that because it would only make my eventual audience with Lara happen that much faster.

"I heard…" She began though not quite able to keep all the confusion out of her voice.

"Harry Dresden is dead." I finished for her. "Yeah I have been getting that a lot and for the time being perhaps that is best for all those concerned." I explained.

"He took the news badly." Justine said. I knew of course that the 'he' she was referring to was Thomas. "He spends all his time alone and only comes out to feed."

Translation: He won't even talk to me.

"I'm sorry about that but I think it is best for the moment if things remain unchanged." I said with complete honesty. "But the sooner that I get to see Lara hopefully the sooner I can get this all resolved." I explained praying that she understood that telling Thomas I was alive, or worse that I was here, was not a good idea at the present.

"Seeing Lara may be something of an issue. Tonight is a very special event for the members of the Raith Family." Justine said biting her lip. It was one of those natural reactions that made her girl next door beauty explode into sight without even trying. It was probably one of those little indescribable things Thomas had fallen in love with. The fact that this love between them actually kept them from even touching reminded me that there were many private forms of Hell to live with that were easily worse than my own.

"What is it prom night?" I asked thinking on the busload of student costume wearers that had preceded me.

"No it is another type of celebratory event entirely." A voice that just dripped with raw female sexuality spoke unannounced from behind me and drew the attention of both of us immediately like two guilty kids getting caught doing something they knew was naughty.

"That will be all Justine. Please ensure my calendar of events is cleared for tomorrow. I have the sudden suspicion that I shall be sleeping it." Lara said as she entered the room. Justine rose without saying a further word from me or even offering a glance in my direction to meet my eyes since those of the lady of the manor never left her until she had exited the room and pulled the door shut behind her. That left me all alone with the true target of my adventure this evening.

Lara Raith was the female ideal in form and function that artists worldwide have tried unsuccessfully to recreate in sculpture or paintings. Take the Venus de Milo and add five inch stiletto heels and a strategic mind to challenge Alexander the Great and you start to get into the ballpark of just what the head of the Raith Family, and the entire White Court, represented.

I had seen and heard of her various outfits in their many forms and fashions. They were always predominantly white as a symbol of her alliance to her court, and each always projected both power and pure femininity. Today's fashion design was no exception to these rules even if the form that it took literally had me falling out of my seat in surprise only to land gracelessly on the floor.

It was a bridal gown, snow while in color, that accented every perfectly sculpted curve of her body. In making it the tailor required no support enhancement areas since what the material contained did not age from its firm perfection. So that left instead what could be described only as a barely appropriate low cut and high slit sheet of sheer pure silk that was barely film-like in thickness and with some enticing lines of pearls as the only enhancements sewn in such a way as to lead the viewer's eyes to the hidden treasures the dress just barely contained.

The dress left her arms were bare from the shoulders but an equally long pair of fingerless matching silk gloves covered from her palms up to her elbows. Lastly, the traditional bridal veil sitting on her blue-black hair came down to only just barely cover the lower aspect of her storm grey eyes. Her lips smiled at my awkward surprise of her arrival.

"I take it that I meet your approval?" She said stepping forward slowly toward me in a motion that was more correctly described as a catlike slink than anything remotely attempted by humans. Each striding step also revealed the full extent of the scandalous cut of the dress which showed bare, not to mention alabaster-like flawless skin and the well toned muscles of her outer thighs right up to her hips.

I made it back into my chair just as Lara sat down on the edge of the desk right in front of me with her legs slightly parted to expose skin on both and allowing the dress to bunch between them for nod toward actual societal propriety. If you recall how the desk was arranged to the chair you will understand how that particular position placed her in what I will only call a position of strategic advantage to the weapons she wielded.

"Are you getting married?" I asked because I was so taken aback that I could not come up with anything better.

"Why?" She asked leaning forward to allow her white painted nails to trail down each of her thighs offering me in the process an even closer look at what the dress barely contained. "Are you considering providing me an even better proposal?" She teased.

My body responded to this as naturally as any eighteen year old's would even though that small voice in my mind was telling me to resist the temptation. I'm telling you if she had been holding a beer or a piece of cheesecake I probably would not have made it.

"I'm afraid not." I said sitting back further in my chair to increase the distance that lay between us. Not that it mattered the smell of her perfume, light and flowery but with a hint of spice, seemed to linger with me still. "The city does not issue marriage licenses to those who are dead."

"Well we could always skip right to the honeymoon." She said undeterred by my rejection and obviously enjoying her moment of superiority. Damn hormones! "I always thought that was really the best part of that particularly quaint mating custom anyway."

"Obviously you had another already in mind when you slipped into that dress." I replied.

"Oh if the dress is the issue I would be quite happy to take it off if you but were to ask." She smiled causing every synapsis in my body to fire at the thought of it. What can I say? In a family of succubae those who would lead are the best at this particular game. "Tell me how long has it been since a woman has let you take her in any form or fashion of your choosing?" She asked in a tone like one might request the current time.

"It is probably much longer than you would believe." I said nearly hypnotized by her question and answering it without even realizing I had done so. Thankfully that little voice inside my head realized the danger and fought to put me back under control once more.

"How delicious!" She said. "In a house full of virgins this night there is one at least in spirit that I would lose no points by indulging with." Lara's storm grey eyes flashed in pure desire as the pointed end of her tongue licked across her lips enticingly.

Focus! What did she just say? The House of Raith was suddenly overflowing with virgins? Could that have something to do with the Latin message about blood? My brain cleared and the lust I felt parted beneath this strong and steady voice in my mind that helped me focus my will.

"What are the virgins for?" I asked forcing myself forward with a new intensity that made Lara draw back to a more neutral posture than she had been sitting in a moment before.

"A game nothing more." She said waving me away as if the subject were of no consequence.

"I just returned from a Red Court 'game' down in Mexico so you might understand that I am a little leery when I hear about vampires playing games." I said adding just a hint of menace. "And since virgin sacrifices play so prominently in the folklore of both our peoples how about as a professional courtesy you explain to me just what is going on here." I let a little magic from my hand make the staff I was holding glow a little red.

"You would dare to threaten me within my own home?" She said letting her eyes narrow only slightly but adding no direct anger to her voice to push this issue father.

"I made no threats." I said without apology. "I merely asked for a professional courtesy."

She sat back and considered my request and the implications my glowing staff put behind it. Lara knew how to fight. But she also knew from experience that Harry Dresden was not an easy target. There were now literally thousands of dead vampires solely because their kind had constantly underestimated that one particular wizard. Lara was not the type to do so. But then again she could not merely let a challenge to her power go unanswered or she chanced losing face to her kind.

"I offer a favor for a favor." She said with that sweet smile that death wears as it reaches for you. "I will not only provide you with the information that you request about our little activity this evening, but I will even listen to the real request that brought you here instead of returning immediately to my hostess duties as propriety demands."

"In exchange for?" I asked knowing from personal experience that there is always a catch.

"A kiss." She smiled sweetly. "Nothing more than a simple kiss." Said the spider to the fly. "Otherwise this meeting is concluded right now and I kindly ask you to vacate this home so we can continue with our celebrations." The grey of her eyes was as unyielding as the steel it shown like.

I thought about this offer and while I am certain there are many of you out there wondering why I did not jump upon such a simple request that is only because you did not understand the true peril of what was being asked of me. The mere spittle of a Red Court vampire was enough to make most mortals their willing slaves and personal Happy Meals. Red Court vamps at their height with such power are barely pale comparisons of the willingness that a White Court vampire could instill with a single kiss.

On the flip side though I had the advantage of having soulgazed Thomas, a White Court vampire himself, so I understood on a much deeper level just what Lara represented. I have also in the past kissed a White Court vampire which could provide me some immunity to the effect or at least help me try to control the more animalistic aspects of it. And then there was the little voice within me telling me this was the only chance to get her to do what I wanted so I really had no choice in the matter. The fact that this voice was now in agreement with my body's cravings instead of their enemy made a third part of me cautious but the voice explained it would provide what I needed to help me resist her charms. I was outvoted two to one so I agreed.

"Terms accepted for only a single kiss." I said as she scooted forward with a flash of delight in her eyes and a smile on those incredibly lovely lips that began to pucker up. "But I get my information and discussion before you get your 'payment.'" I said.

Her smile turned to just a hint of a pout, which if anything was even sexier at that moment. "You are really no fun sometimes Harry." She said overly dramatically. "But if that is the price to be paid…" She looked at me in such a way as to get my will to bend. I heard a Monty Python voice in my head saying 'It's just a little peril…'

"It is!" I said firmly neither moving forward into her web nor moving back to show fear.

"Oh well if you insist." Lara said and straightened back up taking on a more business demeanor. "The Virgin Ball is a once a decade tradition we of House Raith established nearly a century ago." She began her explanation. "Consider it the White Court Olympics if you will."

"The game is relatively harmless, at least to the mortals who take part in it." She said the words casually but I knew the term 'relatively' means different things to a vampire compared to a mortal. "We collect a hundred attractive virgins, fifty from each sex for proper balance, and bring them here for the competition."

"I'm sorry…" I said. "You collect?"

"We do not kidnap them Harry." Lara said reminding me with her tone that her kind despised straightforward brute tactics. "For this particular session we advertised on the internet and at all the major colleges across the country for virgins above the age of twenty willing to participate in an experiment. We promised both travel expenses and a one thousand dollar retainer for merely a single night of work that would not change their virginal status. As you may guess the money alone for cash strapped college students was often enough to keep our phones ringing."

"Over the course of a few months our members interviewed potential candidates, seeking to keep the most attractive and exclude those who were less than truthful about their purity." Lara stated. I knew Warden Carlos Ramirez had been identified as a virgin by Lara herself so this was obviously a power they had at their disposal when they chose to focus on it. It probably worked along the lines of my Wizard Sight.

"Okay you got your livestock." I said. "What do you plan to do with them?"

"The rules of the game are simple." Lara said. "Each of us in the family who chooses to participate in the games offers up a service of any degrading sort to the winner. We then in turn kiss each of the one hundred virgins in any manner we chose but the rules require that we not allow the kiss to last more than two minutes in duration. At the end of the night when each player has kissed each judge, the one hundred virgins cast a single vote for which of the family they would most like to spend the night with. The family member with the most votes when the tally is completed collects the services of all the other contestants."

Wow that was some sort of high energy game of spin the bottle. "That is it?" I asked thinking this was far too simple for a White Court game.

"Of course not." Lara said. "The trick is not merely to inspire lust. Any one of us can do that sufficiently." I knew that was particularly true. "The test is really to see how much control we have in ourselves and those we seduce. You see if during our kissing session any of our partners step past…how shall I put this since you tend not to indulge this particular aspect of your life…the point of no return…then that member of the White Court loses ten votes cast for them." She said with a smile bereft of apology.

"And I suppose you have won this game of yours before?" I asked knowing the answer before she said it.

"Four decades running." She nodded said with a sense of pride. "It would have been five if it were not for one particularly foolish young boy who I have eternally named the Minuteman in lieu of his particular performance during this activity." The disdain with the way she used the term 'minuteman' did not inspire me to think that she held this young man's memory in same particularly high regard as the nation does for its Revolutionary soldiers.

"And what then becomes of your test subjects?" I asked as the real focus of my concern.

"They are returned to their homes well paid and unspoiled as per the contract they signed." Lara replied without any hint of deception.

I would not be surprised to learn that more than a few of them eventually made their way back or sought out members of the White Court after such a demonstration of the Court's power but that was just as likely to happen if the two groups crossed paths in a nightclub, or even a hair salon as Thomas had so aptly pointed out. In the grand scheme of things this was not a crime that I felt was worth getting myself too worked up about.

"Alright." I said accepting Lara's explanation. "I would not want to keep you from your festivities."

"Oh do not worry about that." She waved me off. "As returning champion I have the benefit of going first. I have already worked though the first fifty so you could call this my halftime entertainment if you will. How much time will you require?" She said biting on her full lower lip in a real 'come and get it' sort of way.

"Just three minutes." I answered.

"Really?" She paused. "How disappointing."

"No pure business." I said. "Two minutes to explain what brought me here and one minute to fulfill my part of the bargain." Take that for making the wrong assumption!

"I am looking for any information on remaining Red Court or Black Court activity in the City of Chicago." I jumped to the heart of the matter immediately rather than getting distracted further.

"I was led to believe you exterminated the entire Red Court last week." Lara said adding a little seriousness to her tone.

"I thought so as well, but it is possible there may be another offshoot house out there that was not affected by that spell." I explained and gave my reasoning.

"And I should help you why?" She asked. "What benefit do I gain by allying with you in this matter?"

"Security for your powerbase of course." I said. "If the Red Court still exists they can restore their numbers much faster than you can grow your own. In a century or less we could be back to where we were just a week ago numbers wise at least." That was unfortunately true and Lara knew it. While a Red Court vampire could convert normal mortals to become one of their own with a simple bite, White Court vampires were bred by mating with mortals. That meant in the nine months it took to breed a new White Court, nearly three hundred Red Court vampires might be created by a single Red.

"Alright I will put the word out to my agents and you can contact Justine in a day or two for what we have learned." Lara agreed much more rapidly than I had expected her to. Like I said she had a mind like a true conqueror and was not about to let an enemy that she now learned might only be gravely injured, rise up to cause her trouble in the future; not if she could kill them off instead and ensure her own security.

"Thank you." I said to her and for the first time did not regret it in any sense.

"You can thank me by paying up." She moved again to the edge of the desk and with her soft hands gripped the lapels of my leather duster and lifted me to my feet right between her outstretch legs. She may only look like a beautiful woman but there was a whole lot of vampire strength in that package as well.

"One last question as a professional courtesy." I said. "Why is this so important to you? What do you seek to gain?"

"It is a matter of simple pride and simple desire." Lara replied. "The last time we kissed we should have died if not for your spell power by the heat we generated. Yet even after that you have never come back seeking another taste which makes you the only mortal to ever to have resisted me to such an extent. I want this kiss to prove to myself that I remain as desirable to you as ever since you have shaken my confidence. And I want it from you because you are the only one who has ever turned my down once you have had even a brief taste of my fruits. That denial is a rare ambrosia like treat to me."

Wow talk about an ego. But then again as far as womanly skills in that area were concerned she certainly was sitting at the pinnacle. "Now come here and kiss me." She said pulling me forward before I could lodge a further delay so that our lips met.

Fire blossomed in my body reaching out to warm all the parts of me, especially those that had lain dormant now for far too long. But even while that fire raged, the cool voice of reason in my head told me how to quench and contain those particular fires in order to keep them from burning out of control and consuming me.

Her legs wrapped instinctually around me and pulled me even closer into her embrace. The heat of her bare skin, even though the heavy leather duster I wore, was nearly scorching. While the kiss carried me along this voice served as the conductor telling me we were arriving at the station soon and that the ride was over.

We broke apart and I turned aside, grateful to note that Lara was one of those females who preferred to kiss with her eyes closed to fully enjoy the other senses as well. This prevented an undesired soulgaze from kicking in and gave me the chance to try and find my balance afterwards. I was thankful that I still had my staff to lean upon so I would not fall over.

I turned to leave since there was nothing more that I could think of to say but Lara stopped me cold. "That is rather odd." She said in a voice filled with intrigue?

"What exactly?" I said making it to the door but knowing I had to hear her out.

"Well I understand the virgin taste is merely a leftover from my earlier activities." Lara said obviously studying me and speculating. "But it was not until just this moment that I realized you kiss as passionately as a girl Harry." She said with a sense of new intrigue and desire for an answer. That was not a conversation that was going to do me any good so I chose to leave and close the door behind me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 5_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

I thought on that statement and how it had changed my life in the past few days as I drove away from Raith manor and started heading on an indirect course back to my hospital room. I let my illusion of Harry that I wore dissolve once I was far enough away from regular civilization and in traffic with no one beside me so that there was no chance of someone seeing this change. I thought about how completely in over my head I was right now and just how dangerous it was playing this game all by myself. The other problem was that I had no one I could turn to for help, at least no one that I could actually trust with what I was doing.

"And just what the heck are you actually doing Molly?" I asked myself internally out of sheer frustration. "It's not like you can bring Harry back from the dead. At best all you are doing is trying to vent some steam here in the city befire everything begins to boil over."

"Be at ease child." That soothing motherly voice spoke once again within my mind. "Harry Dresden had faith in both your power and your judgment or he would not have accepted you as his apprentice. The time of you ascendency to the rank of a true wizard is upon you. I am sorry that it comes at a time and a means that is not of your choosing but that is far too often the way it is for those of us with this gift." She said with knowing sympathy. "That is the way it was for Harry as well."

Taken objectively the words were hardly comforting on their face value but they still gave me a warm sense of comfort and that I was not really as alone as I thought I was just a moment before. Sure Harry was not around there for me to talk to and seek advice, but he had drilled much of that into me over the past few years so it was not like he was completely gone either. And I also had friends to rely upon, friends with whom I had fought, bled, and shed tears and with whom I would willingly do so again.

I also had this new voice inside of me to seek council when I desperately required it. And like my friends of flesh and blood, this voice too had already offered me aid exclusive of seeking anything for itself. Without this voice I might have found the strength through anger to willingly tossed around those imposters trying to step into Harry's shoes but I am sure I would not have the courage to either stand up to Marcone to reach a deal of mutual support or to trade banter with the ruler of the White Court to get the influential networks of informants Lara controlled working for my interests either.

"And you performed admirably in both events my dear." The voice of Margaret Gwendolyn LeFay McCoy Dresden's shade spoke directly in my mind sharing a sense of nearly grandmotherly like pride. "The actions you took were all yours. I merely provided you with a bit of insight into things magical that your studies have not allowed for yet. The strength to resist temptation and fear and stand up for yourself was already within you dear."

Okay I guess I need to take a moment to explain what is going on and what has led me here to these events lest you think that your favorite perky wizard apprentice has gone completely off the deep end. I know quite well that after a traumatic event such as the death of a loved one that people are more prone to losing touch with reality and 'voices in your head' are one of those little subtle things that we all know can be a sign that we have turned off of Sanity Street and driving full on into Nutsville Avenue. That was my own first impression as well, but thankfully my deductive reasoning acts like a GPS unit and allows me to check on my sanity location when I engage it. But that is jumping ahead so let me put this whole situation in order for you so you can see I'm not a whack job too.

Like just about every interesting event, I was going to say 'terrible event' but that would be passing judgment on an episode that has not yet transpired fully, that has occurred in my life during the past few years I can trace this one's origins right back to the emergence of my powers, the way I misused them at first, and the continuing repercussions of that mistake.

After Harry had rescued me and we were at the point of trying to decide on whether he would offer his life for mine before the White Council and take me on as his apprentice, he me to consent willingly to a soulgaze first. I was of course hesitant at the thought because what person, much less teenage girl with emerging wizard powers and harboring a secret crush, wants all of her inner secret exposed to the man she has these awkward feelings for? But as much as I did not want him to know that secret and reject me, the truth of my situation was at that moment that I really had no choice in the matter. It was accept this soulgaze or face a rather short yet undoubtedly exciting life of being harassed, hunted down, and then executed by someone like Warden Donald Morgan who enjoyed such things.

So of course I consented, and the good side was that I also got to see the real Harry Dresden just as he got a chance to look upon the real me. What I did not know until just a few days ago was that in addition to what I saw in Harry, which if you are lucky I might speak about one day, there was also a small piece of a shade of Harry's mother Margaret transferred into me with these visions as well. I of course had no idea of this at the time and I suspect it has occurred with most, if not all, of those whom Harry has gazed upon. For you more modern types think of it like half a Trojan Horse computer virus had infected my operating system without my knowing.

Anyway it lay there within me and did nothing more than record my experiences and make judgments about the type of person I was. The original program buried deep inside Harry also gathered small bits of knowledge from him and kept them stored as well and these would transfer to me in casual ways such if our hands touched when I handed him a can of Coke. This collected knowledge was nothing nearly as useful but potentially deadly as siphoning to me part of his magical powers or his deepest secrets. Instead it actually consisted of the more of the common and regular everyday things that Harry and I had never talked about but likely he would have mentioned himself had the subject come up.

For example once the 'program' went active I learned a lot of general but still useful trivia about Harry's relationship with Gentleman Johnny Marcone such as the businesses he had a hand in and the general look and personalities of his most trusted employees; those being Mr Hendricks and Ms Gard. Through this data source I could not immediately recall every conversation Harry had with the three of them because I had no personal basis upon which to access these memories, but if they mentioned something specific then I might be able to access some general knowledge of the event much like one can find the right file by doing a keyword search. I know it sounds awfully complicated but I hardly even recognize it now when it is operating. And I have to admit is can be damn useful to have.

Of course since I had only half the Trojan Horse in my mind at first I had not been able to access these records because I did not know even existed until very recently. The completing piece to this ability came not from Harry, but instead was received when I had soulgazed Harry's brother Thomas, the White Court vampire. In that second exchange the complimentary other half of the Trojan Horse that was the shade of Margaret Dresden download in my soul as well. All the elements were present inside of me just waiting for the correct command to execute. And as far as I know I am the only wizard since Harry and Thomas's mother who had soulgazed both of them and completed this mystical link of herself that she had left behind. All that I unknowingly required was the activation command that she had established.

Yep, you probably guessed it by now. The execute command for awakening this consciousness within me occurred when Thomas stood in my hospital room and told me 'Harry Dresden is dead' and that the words had to be said with a sense of certainty not one of hopefully thinking or future desire. I am very certain now that the speaker to activate this spell was not solely required to be Thomas. I have the sinking suspicion that the reason I have heard these words so often in the past few days is because without knowing it all of these close to Harry have been magically yet subtly manipulated into saying it so that whoever happened to have the full program would bring this consciousness to life. I wonder if John Marcone would find that particular fact of this infringement of his free will as fascinating as I do myself?

At the point that Thomas said those words, while my grief was still in its early stages, that small part of Margret Dresden's soul that she had left behind in both of her sons came together and spoke to me. "Margaret Katherine Amanda Carpenter." The shade said in my mind using my full true name to invoke the power that now lay between us. "I am a mere shadow yet all that remains in this day and age of Margaret Gwendolyn LeFay McCoy Dresden, mother of Thomas Raith, Mother of Harry Dresden, and Wizard of the White Council. I pray by the love you have for my sons and the sake of the world they have tried to build you hear me out."

You should understand that this is the first time that I had ever had a ghost literally inside my head and since it was one that obviously knew my true name because she spoke it at the start at our conversation I knew that provided her all the power she required to command my full attention. According to what Harry had taught me knowledge of my true name alone was probably even enough to provide the shade of Margaret Dresden the ability to possess my body just like one of the Fallen if this part of her original spirit had so desired to do so. Thankfully Harry's mother was not of that type. But the shock of this encounter and my fears at realizing my danger of course did not stop my first words in response to her of accusing the ghost of attempting just that and then trying to banish her from my mind.

"Be gone ghost!" I commanded and was thankful later that I had a private room so I would not have to explain this particular outburst to a roommate. "Our Father who Art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name…" I began thinking that the Lord's prayer would protect me from this intrusion. Hey this is what a life of Catechism teaches you and when faced with this new situation for the first time you are not really willing to experiment.

"Molly…" The voice said both softly and submissively with only a hint of humor at my display. "…I am no evil spirit seeking to do you harm." She said. "I provided unto you also my own true name so you may compel me to depart if that is indeed your wish. I myself have been the unwilling slave of others during my own life so I will not willingly submit another to this same loss of humanity and dignity. With my name you may cast me aside with one command at any moment, but I plead for you to hear me out for the sake of many whom you yourself love."

I almost cast her out right then and there because I knew it would be the safest thing to do. "I hardly think any of the Fallen admit to being corrupting at first either. They probably all offer to be your friend and help you through times of trouble by giving you power." I said having heard my father whisper stories to my mother when I was supposed to be long asleep of his encounters with these tragic and evil beings and my own errors related to breaking the will of another I was not about to allow myself to be subjected to such a thing if it were in my power to stop it.

"You would be surprised then to learn that the shade of the demon Lasciel, whom Harry called Lash, made no attempt to hide that her ultimate goal was to bond and corrupt my son when she inhabited him." Margaret replied in my mind. And before I could raise an objection or a denial that such events had occurred I caught brief, quick glimpses into Harry's memories of Lash and the power she offered him while he still denied her. I also remembered the smell of Hellfire that Harry had wielded and knew instinctively that this is how he had come into that power.

"That just makes my case for removing you immediately from my soul that much stronger." I said.

"It does indeed." She admitted with a mental sigh of resignation. "And my spirit wherever it lays will hold no malice toward you for doing so. What I have done to reach you here many on the White Council might consider a violation of the third, the fifth and the sixth laws of magic. You would be right to be cautious of such. But I will ask one last time for you to hear me out before you take what would be an irreversible step for us both."

I thought on that and pulled back from my convictions to immediately send her packing. If anything in these past few years as Harry's apprentice I had learned there really is no such thing as purely black and white where free will exists. Few beings look upon themselves as evil.

Sure the White Council has it Laws of Magic which they say are truly in the realm of the black. But I had violated one of these and while I was still paying for that transgression, I liked to think my more recent history stood as proof that even breaking these laws did not immutably stain a soul with evil if the owner tried to make amends.

Harry's mom said that her presence in my mind was a potential violation of three of the Laws of Magic which compared to my one seemed pretty intimidating. This was even more so when I realized she was talking not only of invading the mind of another and reaching beyond the borders of life, Laws Three and Five, but also Law Six which forbid swimming against the currents of time! Anyone willing to put that much on the line for a chance to talk to me deserved at least a little consideration. And a little consideration is all I was willing to offer.

"I agree not to banish you." I said. "But before I agree to listen to any proposal you have for me I demand evidence that you are indeed who you say you are."

"That is very wise." Margaret's shade said to me. "And unfortunately it is problematic."

"Why?"

"Because, as you would not doubt reason out for yourself soon enough, you have no means to objectively prove on your own that anything I tell you is truth." She explained. "Any story I provided you would require confirmation from an neutral third party, not from one of the memories of Harry you carry within you since I could perhaps have created or corrected those to support my own desires as well. I fear that we are at an impasse."

"Then we must find someone capable of removing this impasse." I said logically but had no idea who that could be and neither did Margaret so we put our conversation on hold.

Two days later this requirement was alleviated by the arrival of Captain Luccio, head of the Wardens. In addition to be a Senior Warden and therefore having access to the records on every member of the White Council, most especially those like Harry and his mother Margaret who had been ones the both groups wanted carefully monitored due to their reckless natures, Luccio had also been an occasional friend with Margaret when she was alive. Harry's mom immediately explained this all to me in the instant as the Captain entered my room. She even provided me a perfect question to drop at an appropriate time and what the answer she hoped would prove her identity.

After the Captain gently interrogated me on my health, what had happened in Mexico, and finally on Harry's disappearance, I moved the conversation over to another subject. "Ma'am, because of my support on the Red Court attack, Harry had promised to take me to dinner in Venice, a city I have always wanted to see for myself. I know you are Italian by birth so you may be the perfect person to ask this. Could you name a good restaurant that would give me a real Italian feel, nothing romantic of course, but just a good place where friends can hang out and share a glass of wine?" The question was an exact recreation of the last encounter that Captain Luccio and Margaret Dresden had shared together.

And since this was purely an innocent and reasonable request and struck a familiar chord in the Warden even though she might not immediately understand from where she answered without even thinking. "I used to go with a friend of mine to a place called Luchio's, because the owner was actually my great, great… well let's just say a few generation remove grandnephew of mine who modified the family name over the past few decades. When you get out of the hospital and can walk without crutches I will take you myself…that is if Harry has not returned of course." She stumbled with her words and by her emotions had just as much trouble admitting he may be dead as I did. However, her answer was proof positive that the shade speaking in my head was exactly who she said she was.

After Captain Luccio left the room I could feel Margaret Dresden's spirit lingering in my mind waiting for me to choose to acknowledge her and that the information she had been provided was indeed factual. Sure it was possible perhaps that some demon might know or learn of key events taking place anywhere in the multi-universe but the chance even an immortal being with nothing but time on its hands went to any effort to collect where a Warden and a wizard went to lunch once in awhile hardly seems likely.

"Alright you proved your identity." I said speaking in my mind to Margaret's shade.

Her spirit voice had a bit of trepidation to it. "That is very good child for I fear by listening in on your conversation with Anastasia that our shared situation is even more precarious than I had at first thought." She said with obvious concern in her mental voice.

I was left wondering not so much how this was possible, but rather how she had learned this while I had been confined to my bed for so long and Margaret only had access to the same information sources and details that people brought to me. But as I have been having about two years of history of getting into bad situations without even trying I figured I might as well accept the possibility that what she was telling me was true. It is usually better to accept the problem and try and solve it than deny that it exists in the first place I have discovered.

"What are you talking about?" I asked hesitantly, not really wanting to know what type of trouble I could have gotten myself into now just lying in my hospital bed. You would think that this should be afforded neutral ground or whatever was similar as far as fate was concerned.

"I fear that as cordial as Captain Luccio was, her visit here was working for a deeper and less genial purpose than she led on." Margaret said and now that I had accepted her existence within me a mental image of her began to form so I would have someone to talk to. It was pretty basic as far as my imagination was concerned.

I pictured a kind and compassionate looking middle aged woman dressed in white wizard robes. She had the same colored hair as Harry and many of the same general features, especially his eyes. And as she spoke and I read her emotions I also pictured her biting her lip in obvious concern. I did not know she could see what I imagined as well.

"Physically you are close enough, but my dear the wardrobe is way too classical and conservative for me." Margaret said. "I should warn you now that you and I share more than just our first name and love for my son. I tend to lean much closer to your fashion trends than this one you picked for me and would be equally at home in torn jeans and a tank top." She said and the idea that Harry's mom might have been a rebel in fashion and not just in following the White Council's laws made me smile and then laugh as the image changed to fit what she described. This image made Margaret's shade smile and chuckle a bit as well.

"I never had a daughter Molly." She said. "But I find it a very remarkable coincidence that my son's apprentice and I share so many personality traits, not to mention we were both sensitive wizards which is extremely rare." She said making my eyes open in shock.

"Your powers were like mine?" I asked for confirmation.

"Not completely." She amended gently. "But I was more closely aligned to you skills with mental magic that I was to Harry's ability to toss fire. Don't get me wrong I could do some of that as well, but I preferred and had a more natural ability for the subtle arts and for gathering knowledge. I see you have enhanced your abilities with things like illusions and your chi healing ability that I had never even thought to pursue when I was alive. I think you have the potential within you to be far greater that I achieved, even if you do not pick up the mantle that was left for you."

Wow that was an odd revelation on how two people who shared a name were so much alike. And now there was a third Maggie out there, Harry's daughter, who we had just rescued from the heads of the Red Court, and who likely would be gifted with some sort of magic when she reached her teens just as I had. I hoped she would have a better introduction to it than I did. Maybe that was the mantle Margaret was speaking of. Of course she remained silent on this subject.

"Molly I do not wish to pressure you before you are ready to fully understand the current repercussions of what is taking place but I fear our time, in truth your time, to influence these events positively is quickly running out." Margaret Dresden said in my mind.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Is Harry in need of me? Is he alive somewhere?"

"As you do not know child, I do not know." She admitted. "That is one of the things that we must consider and discuss when you feel you are ready to face it."

"Fine." I said taking a mental deep breath. "Tell me what I need to do to save Harry then." I said getting ready to sit up and leave my bed, well that was until I twisted my injured leg in such a way as to send a shooting pain all the way up my spine.

"Molly please do not do that as I feel your pain as well. It is not Harry himself we need to save, but rather we must do what we can to save what Harry represents." Margaret said soothingly in my head. "But to do that we must learn, plan, and most importantly you must heal if we are going to have any chance of pulling this off. I do not want to be cliché Molly but there are lives at stake in this."

"Like Harry's daughter." I said knowing that someone had to look out for the little girl.

"Like Harry's apprentice." Margaret replied.

I brushed that thought aside. "If whoever shot Harry wanted to kill me then I would likely be dead already." I reasoned knowing that a hospital was bed was hardly the safest place I could be from an assassin.

"I was referring to the White Council and the Wardens my dear not the mysterious assassin." Margaret explained.

The change in direction with the cast of characters caught me off guard for I had been focused on the evil side of the equation rather than the complications that Harry's death created for the 'good guys.'

"Yes Molly, if Harry is actually dead then you have no one standing between you and the Doom of Damocles any further." Margaret explained. "The Warden's executioner's blade is only prevented from falling on your neck based upon Harry's promise to take you in to train you and a willingness to share your fate if he failed. Is there another member of the White Council who would accept this burden in his place if Harry's death is confirmed?" She explained to me the full personal repercussions before following with her question.

I thought on that and knew that there was no one I would let do so even if they had the desire to do it in a way to honor Harry's memory. There were not many possibilities in that particular category anyway because most other wizards avoided Harry and had no use for a warlock apprentice. Warden Carlos Ramirez perhaps might consider it, but his own fiery personality tended to get him into enough trouble without taking me on as an additional concern. And those who did not like him might see my apprenticeship as a way to get rid of two birds with one stone.

There was Wizard McCoy, Harry's former master, but I did not think that he held me in any particular high regard to offer his life for my own. He had bigger issues to deal with as a member of the ruling council than one wayward apprentice. Just a few days ago he had been willing to sacrifice Harry's daughter, though he had not been aware of the family connection at the time, to better secure the White Council's position against the Red Court. Someone so willing to discard an innocent child would have no trouble tossing aside a guilty warlock if the situation required it.

And then there was Warden Captain Anastasia Luccio who had just come by to visit me, in part to see how I was doing and if I had heard from Harry, but now through Margaret's better understanding of her, also to determine if my stay of execution should remain in force until Harry's body was discovered or ended immediately. The fact that I had invaded the Captain's mind, in so doing brushing up against the very Law of Magic I had a death sentence place upon me for, was not something in her position she could forget even if it did help root out a spy that was manipulating her. Did I ever mention that I friggin hate politics and all the backstabbing it requires?

"No there is no one." I confirmed in my mind realizing that I was in a rather precarious position.

"Then we must find a way to keep Harry alive, even if only through uncertainty in the minds of those who seek to do harm, and to do so in such a way that no one suspects that you are involved or that survival instinct will cast doubt upon everything we are trying to achieve." Margaret Dresden reasoned with a mental nod.

"Illusions?" I asked.

"That must certainly play a role my dear for you are far too beautiful to look like Harry even at a distance." She said with light wit that made me smile and relax just a little at her comment.

"But glimpses and random sightings would only create the uncertainty we need for a brief period of time." She reasoned. "Without something substantive to back up these sighting people may start to suspect it is all a trick and once they are open to that idea that will lead them eventually right back to you my dear."

"But what else is there?" I asked. "It's not like I can hire an actor to play Harry on television or anything." I thought that actor Paul Blackstone I had seen in bit parts of movies might look close enough like Harry, but he was probably too busy to want to pretend to be a wizard.

"What we must do is decide what Harry would be doing if he were alive and then continue those actions in his stead." She answered calmly and rationally which is more than I can say for myself. "If we come up with a reasonable idea of what Harry would be doing right now, then it makes sense that others hearing of it will come to the same conclusions and thereby protect your involvement to a greater extent. And if Harry is indeed alive and doing whatever we reasoned, then we have a greater chance of crossing paths with him and combining our efforts."

"That makes sense to me." I said knowing immediately what he would want to do. "I think if Harry is alive he would probably be trying to figure out who had tried to kill him and then hunting this person or being down to make sure it did not happen again." Yes that definitely seemed like what Harry would be doing though with a lot of violence, burned down buildings, and more than a few injuries.

"The problem with knowing that is you are in a hospital bed so we cannot really do anything about it yet." Margaret replied. "That will greatly complicate our efforts."

"Only for a day or so." I explained. "I can use my chi healing to take care of this wound by then."

"Wait." She cautioned. "While that may be a benefit we must also think of a reasonable defense. While you are known to be injured and healing here in a hospital bed that throws suspicion away from you and supports the idea that Harry really is alive. If you suddenly make a miraculous recovery just when people start seeing Harry then the opposite occurs and we are in the situation we are trying to avoid."

I thought on this and from my experience of healing my brother's wounds where a rather large and disagreeable ten foot spider had skewered him I knew that the chi healing could be focused on specific things. If I knit the damaged muscles back together but left the outer wounds scabbed over then the only way anyone would know for sure what my condition was is if they took an x-ray, which being a wizard was rarely successful. I explained all this to Margaret and she agreed though her motherly tone remained one of concern for my wellbeing none the less. I started that process of healing, which was all mental anyway, and we turned to other issues.

"The next problem we have is that you cannot be in two places at once." Margaret explained. "You have far too many visitors, and too many of the young doctors find you too attractive, to chance someone coming by when you are not here."

"Then we take the risk and operate only at night once visiting hours have past." I suggested but got a warm smile that doctors were checking me out none the less. Hey, girls like to know those kinds of things!

"That takes care of family and friends, but you still have the medical staff who makes their rounds." She cautioned. "They get paid to notice little things like missing patients."

"Unless we can make it look like I am not missing." I replied. "But how do we do that? I really do not think the whole molded pillows under the sheets routine would fool anyone."

"No but your illusions would." Margaret said with a sense of inspiration in her words. If a shade were capable of actually snapping her fingers I am sure she would have.

"But wouldn't I have to be present to cast that type of spell?" I asked. "I mean I can keep up an illusion or a veil for a fairly long period of time, maybe more than a couple of hours if I can focus the magic through my wands, but I can't keep it running all night and certainly not if I am miles away from it as well." I said finding a need to explain my magic to a wizard who had been doing my kinds of things for a lot longer than me.

"You are thinking about it the wrong way." She said. "You do not need the spell to run constantly. All you need is an illusion if someone opens your door to check on you."

"You mean like a ward?" I asked. "I thought those were always explosive and dangerous."

"That is because you are used to Harry's and that is the type of magic that he specializes in." Margaret explained. "A ward is nothing more than a time or situation activated spell that you decide upon before casting it. It still requires all the same amount of power, and of course unless you want to start carving runes in the walls of your hospital room the spells will only last until dawn, but that should give you enough time to operate as Harry Dresden don't you think?" She asked.

"It should." I agreed. "So one spell ought to do it?"

"I would probably go with a minimum of three spells to allow for accidents and contingencies of your room being opened more than just once at night." She said and I had to agree that made sense. It would not do for an orderly to check on me, close the door, and then have to open it again a second later for a second look at sleeping beauty and now the patient is gone. So Margaret and I agreed three spells of me sleeping soundly was enough.

"Don't forget the cute little snoring dear." Harry's mom reminded me as I planned the spells.

"I don't snore."

"Okay dear." She conceded. "Then don't forget the occasion donkey braying sounds that mysteriously echo in the same room when you are unconscious." She said just as sweet as caramel covered pie. Yeah it is a good thing there are no ghost Mother's Day cards because she really would not be getting one.

Thankfully when I was brought to this hospital Thomas had the sense of mind to keep my possessions close by. My clothes were a total write off as they were soaked in blood and materials that I would rather not even speculate upon, but my wands were there as well, and these would be invaluable to me during this deception. The wands were not highly magical so much in and of themselves, but what they did provide was a much better way for me to focus my spells and therefore waste less energy. You can think about it as the difference between a candle flame burning and a flashlight's beam. Both may emit about the same amount of illumination when running, but the flashlight allows this light to be better focused and projected farther. My wands worked along the same concept.

"So I suppose you have some suggestions on how to start investigating as well?" I asked moving on so that I would not respond to the donkey comment.

"As I see it the police are the ones to likely have the best information on crimes occurring here in the city." Margaret replied. "You friend Murphy did not seem to have much but perhaps they are withholding information from her due to her suspension. I think they offer the most reasonable information on Harry's murder."

"Maybe." I considered this and was almost ready to agree then immediately realized that there were other sources here that might have an equal interest in crime. The most directly interested would be Gentleman Johnny Marcone who had his hand in most of the crime in this city and therefore had to have a good idea of what was taking place, at least when something as big as an assassination was concerned.

Margaret agreed that this was not a bad alternative and even showed me the information her shade had on Marcone's businesses and key employees Harry had gathered that I told you about earlier. She also provided me an important warning. "You may be able to fool the humans, but if Ms. Gard is indeed more than that as Harry believes then illusions are most likely not going to work for long on her."

"This still remains a better option than the police though." I reasoned. "Let's just hope it works out for the best." And as you have already seen, fate or merely pure random chance allowed for me to have this meeting with the crime boss without Marcone's female bodyguard being present so my skill with illusions was not unnecessarily tested to that degree.

While Marcone did not have the information on who had shot Harry, he did provide a clue that something big was going on. And of course that was not only a possible lead in his attack, but even if not directly related, it was just the kind of thing that Harry would have investigated at the same time. So allowing me to do so disguised as him merely promoted the idea that he was still alive to those who heard about it. This led me from Marcone to Stallings; the trail allowing me more support to the story of Chicago's wizard hunting down the one who had tried to kill him.

I had to admit that lying to Murphy this afternoon was not something I had wanted to do. In the past two years I had really come to like her, and what is more respect her, for all she did for me. I felt I was betraying her by lying about Harry being alive so of course I tried to play that aspect down as best I could. The problem was that if the Wardens thought Harry might actually be dead they were smart enough to watch Murphy and see if she thought he was dead too. Thankfully our conversation had left her uncertain enough that anyone watching her would not close the case on Harry Dresden just yet either.

I must admit that trying this illusion trick with Lara Raith was hardly something that I wanted to attempt when presented with the idea, but once again it was Margaret who talked me into it even though I was certain the White Court would see right through me. "A vampire's natural senses may be greater than that of a human's child, but their minds are just as easily deceived by seeing exactly what they expect to whether it is really there or not." I had to admit that this was indeed true in my experience as well. Illusions I had tried of average things were more likely to work than ones of fantastic or impossible things like Elvis Presley for example; well I mean that in anywhere but Las Vegas I guess.

My greatest concern came of course when faced with having to kiss the head of the White Court. It was not a kissing a girl thing, I had done well in acting class so could put what I needed to into that. What was more concerning to me was the addictive types of power that kissing a White Court vampire the Raith clan was likely to cause. I had tried this activity once with Thomas purely by accident and had Harry and Mouse not come to my rescue…well…I do not like to think of what that would have ultimately meant for your favorite perky wizard apprentice.

"The kiss is nothing that need concern you Molly." Margaret said with a laugh in her voice as I negotiated with Lara Raith, never knowing of the second conversation going on in my head.

"That is easy for you to say." I thought as I shuddered at how good that last kiss had felt.

"You forget child, I was married to Lara's father." She replied in my mind. "I can teach you the perfect spell for that particular situation and it will, if anything, even improve Harry's standing and reputation among their type."

"You know a spell to resist a vampire's kiss?" I said knowing that Harry had a potion that offered a limited ability to do this.

"Not resist child." Margaret said. "What fun would that be? The spell I created turns the power of the kiss back upon the vampire. All the desirability that they place into the kiss converts back to wanton lust within themselves. And since it is incredibly bad form for a White Court vampire to lose control of itself except in a life and death situation, the vampire is forced to break off the kiss before they lose their own self control."

"That is horrible!" I said with a mental laugh. "I absolutely love it!"

"I told you child your image of me as some scholarly matron was a bit far afield from the real McCoy." She said with an internal impish grin. "And yes that pun was intended."

Another Harry Dresden encounter successfully established along with a potential source of information so I decided to call it a night. On the way back to the hospital I stopped at a Denny's one block from the hospital for a quick meal, the food in the hospital being terrible and good food helps restore chi, and because Denny's had a payphone if I decided it was wise to call Stallings. I was just finishing my meal by the window when a white Corvette raced by headed straight for the hospital blowing through the red light at the corner without a care in the world. I only caught a glimpse of the driver but in that flash I knew I was in trouble and that my call to Stallings would have to wait.

It looked like Thomas Raith was about to make an unexpected late night call on a certain hospital patient. While I was fairly certain the illusion of me sleeping would look real to him if he opened the door and set off the ward, the fact that he was coming here this late at night and was willing to run a red light to get to me even quicker made me suspect that he would want to wake me up if he found me asleep. And the instant he touched 'me' the illusion would fall away, and so would my protection as well.

I dropped some cash on the table and raced for my car hoping I was not going to be too late.


	6. Chapter 6

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 6_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

Thomas's words were not so much a declaration of fact as an accusation that he suspected that I was up to something. It did not help that he had shared a soulgaze with me and therefore knew that I was prone to being less than totally truthful if I felt it was one of those rare situations where the need called for it. Of course having an irritated vampire staring at me whose face is covered with lipstick kisses and who is being forced to brace my hospital room door shut to keep him from being mobbed by a handful of sex crazed nurses and medical assistants might be one of those rare situations that I would qualify as 'needing it.'

From Denny's, I had chased after Thomas in my Mustang and while he had nearly a two minute advantage in getting to the hospital. I made up for much of that delay though because I knew at night I needed to enter by the emergency room whereas Thomas had parked in the normal visitor's parking area, which of course led to doors that were closed this time of night. He then had to drive around while I was just reaching the doors.

Still even this slight knowledge advantage barely gave me a chance to stay ahead of him and while my leg was capable of handling me walking on it somewhat normally, running on it in this condition was a completely different thing. And of course my room was situated in a completely different wing of the hospital where Thomas would have more than ample opportunity to catch up. Therefore I needed time, and as I entered the oddly mostly calm waiting area around the ER and scouted out what resources might be available to me, I improvised a quick means by which I could buy myself a little breathing space without anyone getting hurt.

I cast a quick illusion on myself converting the leather duster and Stetson and made it appear I was dressed in regular jeans and a movie poster sweatshirt that proclaimed my loyalties to my 'team.'. My hair took on its natural blonde appearance and I added a bit of a glassy look to my eyes that screamed I was not an applicant for Mensa award. But for the plan I had in mind that was absolutely perfect.

"Oh my god do you know who I saw in the parking lot?" I said with a squeal that might have cracked glass if I kept it going any further. It drew everyone's attention to me and more importantly to the Twilight sweatshirt I was wearing that glowed just enough to catch the eye without anyone realizing the effect.

"Young lady this is…" The oldest nurse on duty, not behind the desk itself but close enough to supervise what was going on, starting to dress me down for inappropriate tones of voice in a hospital. If I let her finish it would totally detract from my plans.

"Edward!" I squealed even louder. "I mean in the parking lot I saw him! It was really Edward! And he even bit me on the neck!" I said showing a fake hickey to my unsuspecting audience as I made my way through the crowd toward the other hallway that led deeper into the hospital. "Oh my gosh he is sooooo dreamy." I wondered if girls ever really talked like this or it was some 1950's myth.

Yeah this scheme had about as much chance of being believed as saying Santa Clause was here, except of course the perky storyteller in this case had access to subtle magic that lent strength to the story. I also figured that it did not hurt my chances that the other four nurses on duty were all in their mid-twenties and that there were also two girls of about fourteen years of age waiting with their family on word about their brother's obviously broken wrist. I tossed forth a nice push of emotions that said 'trust me' and a sense of pure excitement that put a charge in the air. All in all the magic was enough to move the female members of my audience from skeptical column and into the realm of I will believe it when I see it; otherwise known as Edward fantasy agnostic. Hey fantasy is something I can play with!

"And he was signing autographs and giving vampire kisses wherever you ask for them." In fairness the latter half of that comment was supposed to reflect the autographs portion but hey if they misconstrued it to mean the kisses well that would only work to my advantage. I guess it just sucks sometimes being a handsome White Court vampire.

I stepped to the hallway and cast a veil on myself just as Thomas got to the sliding doors; the noise of these were absolutely perfect to draw everyone's attention away from me and to him allowing me to disappear without anyone noticing. Not that it would have mattered. A mostly physically restored Thomas was romance novel cover dreamy and drew young women's (and older women's, and a fair number of men's) attention to himself like fire hydrants attracted random dogs.

Upon seeing Harry's brother who is of an unnaturally pale complexion and almost seemed to sparkle based upon the neon lights, and a slight help from magic, the nurses, especially the elderly one, all made a collective gasp. Based on their emotions that I was reading, they first registered surprise that my story had been true, and then upon seeing him closer, absolute wanton lust. For the record this is a very natural reaction that many women have to Harry's brother, especially if he is so distracted thinking about something that he is not trying to tap down his natural White Court vampire charm. And thinking he was about to catch me in a grand lie, Thomas was not thinking about how he looked at that moment to those standing around him.

"EDWARD!" The oldest nurse screamed and threw herself toward Thomas who only registered the words though his self induced singular focus at the last possible second. Normally a White Court vampire is fast enough to avoid a clumsy grab like the head nurse was making but right upon the heels of the old nurse's exclamation the rest of the room exploded with more screams of 'Edward' as well which distracted him at the crucial moment. The sexy White Court vamp fell beneath the white uniformed nurse and before he could find his feet the rest of the nurses and teenage girls were upon him. I can only say with some certainty in seeing their initial actions that if they had been cannibals there would have been one less White Court vampire in the world that night. Unfortunately his fate was far worse than just death.

I made it to my room, dismissed the wards, stuffed the duster and the Stetson into a closet and donned my gown, and got myself back into the bed just as the screams of high speed foot pursuit began to draw closer and closer. I flipped on the newly replaced television to the news and tried to look interested when my door was flung open by Thomas seeking the last bastion of refuge against his crazed admirers. The glare he tried to give me of anger only lasted to the first beating upon the door when his survival instinct got the better of him and he focused instead on the more immediate danger.

"Harry Dresden is dead." He said holding the door braced with his shoulder against it. I had seen Thomas go toe to toe with some pretty nasty things that were way stronger than the average biker gang member. Keeping the door secured against a horde of kiss crazy females was probably even more of a test of his physical prowess than dealing with the ancient Mayan beast we had all fought outside a dirty Internal Affair cop's home about a week or so ago that left us trashed.

"I know." I said looking at him but not offering any help in his present predicament. Hey I was an injured apprentice with her leg in a sling; what was he expecting me to do, get up and hold the door with him? "You told me that a few days ago."

"Then why…" The door and the frame buckled nearly a full inch inward as nearly a half ton of hormone induced flesh pushed against it screaming 'Edward' and asking him to bite them. Only with a focused effort was he able to get the surprisingly strong door back into position and even then it still caused him to momentarily interrupt what he was saying so he could ensure the latch was still seated in the correct position. "…then was Harry Dresden talking to my lovely sister Lara tonight?"

As an interrogation technique the whole fighting to keep the horde from consuming him raw really did not put all that much pressure on me to have to answer his questions or explain anything quickly. Nor did it really give him enough time to read my face and try to tell if I were lying in anything I said. But it was not like he was going to leave without some sort of answer and judging by the way he was using his vampire energy to hold back the lusty females I grudgingly decided that I needed to calm this situation down before he used up so much that he had to feed.

I cast a veil on him and ordered Thomas to go stand in the far corner of my room that was an open space and without anything to hide behind. Thankfully being a vampire he can move much faster than the average person so by the time the door slammed open and nine women charged in, I guess he had seemingly added two patients to his list of hospital based admirers somewhere along the way, he was already where I had directed him to be. The Amazon horde entered my room in a rush, clawing one over the other to find their quarry, but seeing instead only me lying in my bed and no place for a hunky and glittery vampire to be hiding from them. That did not stop them from scanning each and every direction to figure out where he could have gone.

"He was behind the door and now is out in the hallway." I said casting just a bit of an illusion in their minds that made them think they may have seen him pass. "Help me up now so I can have a part of him too!" I said trying to toss off my covers but they all ignore my pleas.

Like a school of sharks driven to frenzy by catching scent of blood from their prey, the lust crazed women all spun around and raced back out the same doorway they had just come through, splitting up into two groups to head in opposite directions down the corridor in pursuit. Their pitiful screams of 'Edward, I love you Edward' were probably the human evolutionary equivalent to how wolf packs communicate through howling in a forest to trap their prey between them. I will have to ask Will's wife Georgia if this is true and she understand both wolf calls and lust.

Once they were gone I dropped the veil I had lain Thomas who was at that moment of appearance splitting his time between staring at me for answers and looking for any lingering lone female vampire hunters still stationed patiently at my door. As these two required quick turns of the head I noted that he also caught a glance of himself in the mirror, to include the rather overtly sexy fingernail shredded silk shirt and the island-like smears of lipstick that dotted his sculpted and waxed body.

"Now I understand why you did not come back to visit me after you left." I said as emotionless as I could manage. He looked at me just long enough that I had to crack a smile at his expense.

"I suppose you think you are funny?" He asked seriously. "That this is all a big joke."

"Come on!" I said. "You can't be blaming me for those girls. I have seen you swarmed like that before."

"I'm not talking about that." He said though he did cock his head in for an instant of wondering if perhaps I had actually played some part in this. Sorry Thomas that is a secret I will take to my grave.

"What are you talking about then?" I asked trying to project a sense of confusion.

"Molly my sister Lara is not stupid." He said in a deadly serious tone. "If she suspects that someone used her for their own purpose, she will take that as a personal insult to her authority and seek to even the score and ensure the person behind it never has such an opportunity to do so again." Thomas explained. "Being manipulated by someone is the deadliest form of insult among my kind because we relish doing such things to each other as a means of showing our superiority."

I thought on this and knew he was probably right. Hell he lived with Lara where I had just met her, though I have to admit we had gone a lot further on our first date than I had planned to. The question was though if I should admit my duplicity and my whole plan to imitate Harry to Thomas or deny it completely. I had fought beside him and in a way even owed him for not being dead. He would therefore make a powerful ally in both keeping Harry 'alive' to the general public and helping me track down what was really going on in Chicago at the moment. Of course that was only if he was of a mind to agree with my plan and be willing to do so. If not, then I had someone who knew my secret and served as a potential source of information for others and therefore a rather large liability to my scheme.

"What do you think Margaret?" I asked the shade within me. I figured what was the point of having someone in your head if you could not go to them for the occasional request for advice? And the fact that it was Thomas's mother in this case probably did not hurt the situation and might lend some insight that I had otherwise not considered.

"Child, in life, especially toward the end, I was never one for allies." Margaret's mother admitted rather blatantly and surprisingly. "I found that my vision of the world and what I thought the White Council's role in it should be, while many tended to agree with it in our private discussions, was not one that they would willingly stand behind when those higher up the chains in power took this as a challenge to their authority."

"People tend to want the world to operate within the parameters that they have developed for themselves." Margaret explained. "When they are driven out of their comfort zone they often act unpredictably." She said with a strong undercurrent of warning.

"So you do not trust your own son?" I asked somewhat shocked to hear that suggestion.

"It is not that I do not trust Thomas Molly." Margaret said. "It is that I understand far too well what he is going through and therefore I am unsure of how he would react."

"What do you mean?" I considered Thomas a friend and could not see him doing something to harm me.

I sensed a delay in Margaret's thoughts, not because she did not trust me to explain things but rather because of regrets she still maintained from when she was alive. Finally she built the courage to explain. "Molly, you must understand Thomas is in a very dangerous place right now. He has in the past few years seen his entire world turned upside down and for all practical purposes destroyed. He fears that he is becoming the very monster that he has rallied against his entire life. And as a strictly outside observer both you and I know that concern is not completely unfounded."

"You mean all because of what happened to Harry?" I asked sensing this was tied to his death.

"Not only that child." Margaret explained. "In Thomas's eyes there is a long list of personal tragedies that he has been forced to overcome. You saw the sadness and loneliness within him that I am speaking of when you shared your soulgaze just a few days ago."

"His life is one disappointment after another with no hope, in his mind, of turning for the better. I left him when he was a child, and in doing so left him with a father who not only refused to show the boy any sense of love, but actively tried to kill him as he grew older. His sisters never showed him true affection, most dismissing him completely in pursuit of their own agendas, though a few like Lara showing the caring as one would for a potentially useful future tool which is how she saw and sees him today. He had Justine for a brief period of time who he truly loves and who loves him back, yet now because of his nature and the diametrically opposite effect of that love they share he cannot touch her without being tortured by excessive burns from this simple contact of compassion that his soul cries out for."

"He tried to honor her love by changing from the monster he saw in the mirror." She continued. "He stopped feeding on others except for his little sips from his customers to both protect them and demonstrate to others and himself that he could control the demon within him. But the skinwalker striped that sense of control away from him and fed that demon that Thomas had so long tried to keep starving and contained. And now on the heels of all this, the younger brother who Thomas had so long admired as someone who always tried to do the right thing has been gunned down and stripped from his life completely. The last pillar Thomas felt he could lean upon has been taken away from him forever. He has no one left in his life to help him battle the demon who seeks every moment of the day and night to make him the very monster that Thomas fears becoming." Margaret finished.

"But you are still here." I thought with hope. "Or at least a part of you is. Thomas would love to know a part of you is still around and that you still care for him."

"NO!" Margaret's voice pleaded as loudly as possible. "Please no Molly. That would be the final nail in his coffin and surely push him completely over the edge as seeing himself only as a monster."

"Why?" I asked in total confusion.

"Because, as I said, I was the first one to abandon him." The shade of Thomas's mother explained to me with pained regret. "Instead of being pleased that I still exist in some form, since I have returned to you and not to him, he will see this as the final proof that he is unworthy to be anything but a monster. It will send him into the abyss of his soul from which he will never escape and likely Lara or even you yourself, would have to hunt him down and kill him sometime in the very near future as he accepts this false destiny and goes forth to feed wantonly as the demon within him desires." She explained with an image that made me shudder.

"So then I cannot tell Thomas what I am doing." I reasoned. "There is no way I could explain it all without him eventually learning about you." I knew that was true.

"I am afraid you are correct." Margaret's spirit voice said with deep regret as well. "For now at least that is the best." She offered. "Perhaps in the future once he has dealt more with his grief then you can be honest with him." From the way she said that I doubted she ever expected that particular future would materialize. I hoped that her vision of Thomas's path ahead was not how things would actually play out for him. He deserved so much better than what each expected from him.

I returned to answering his question, thankful for the speed of thought. "I don't know what you are talking about Thomas." I said aiming for a convincing voice. I did not want to leave suspicion in his mind or add anything he might take as a challenge.

I must have struck the right tone because he actually paused to consider my words and seemingly ran through things in his own mind. "It had to be you." He said aloud but I knew he was not actually talking to me as much as working things out in his own head. "It had to be someone close enough to Harry to know he deals with Lara and the White Court and at the same time it must be someone like a wizard with the ability to cast illusions."

I let him stew over this for a few moments as I tried to get comfortable in my bed and inadvertently grimaced as I twisted my injured leg the wrong way. I could also feel a very slight trickle of blood staining my bandages. I guess I had pushed myself a little too hard tonight and so I would need a bit of chi healing to help patch me up some more before I tried anything that stupid again. On the bright side unless something new broke open in my investigations all I really needed to do was check in by phone with both Stallings and Justine tomorrow anyway, and I could use any payphone here in the hospital for that chore if I chose to.

Thomas had noted my grimace of pain and perhaps his acute vampire senses even could catch a whiff of fresh blood. Either way that seemed to add to his momentary confusion. It probably did not help that he was also so emotionally screwed up by his grieving that he was questioning himself on every level. Like I said I felt bad for him, but without coming totally clean, which Margaret had begged me not to, there really was not a whole lot I could do for Thomas at this point.

"Has that other warden friend of Harry's been to see you?" Thomas asked me with a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Captain Luccio?" I asked not sure what he was getting at. "Yes, she came by a few days ago."

"No I was talking about Carlos Ramirez." He corrected me.

"No." I said as I understood just what Thomas was thinking. Carlos had been with Harry and helped fight some rogue members of the White Court in the past. He had also met Lara and the two had some sort of serious confrontation between them at that first meeting. Carlos was also a wizard, which meant he could likely cast illusion spells too, certainly not as well as your currently bedridden perky wizard apprentice I knew, but Thomas would not likely know how strong Carlos was in these areas.

"No, Carlos has not been by to see me." I said truthfully. "Last I heard he was still in Edinburgh causing trouble with the supports of Wizard Cristos about the whole peace treaty with the Red Court." At least that is the last thing that Harry had been able to tell me. Perhaps Carlos was back in Los Angeles by now and had reassumed his normal Warden duties, but if so he had not made an attempt to call me.

"But you had said Captain Luccio came by a few days ago." Thomas countered. "Having met her I doubt she would leave Edinburgh in the midst of a crisis between factions of the White Council just to come check up on the health of an apprentice. So that means that most likely the situation has been resolved. And if that is indeed so, that means therefore Carlos may be here in town." Thomas said speculating aloud.

I did not want to explain to Thomas that Captain Luccio's purpose was more likely to see if she needed to carry out my death sentence rather than check up on my health. If he knew that information he might just reverse course in his thinking because he understood that I had much more motivation to keep Harry alive than Carlos did. I was not lying to him, but I must admit I did not feel good letting Thomas deceive himself either.

"It is for his own protection child." Margaret's voice tried to comfort me in my head but I ignored it.

"I gotta go." Thomas said all of a sudden and was nearly out the door before my call stopped him.

"Thomas wait." I said with a tone of indecision. He stopped and turned to look at me. "This thing with Harry…" I said.

"I understand." Thomas nodded.

"You do?" I asked confused.

"Sure." He replied. "You want me to keep you informed on what is happening."

He came over to the small night table beside my bed and grabbed a piece of scratch paper and a pen. He first jotted down the phone number listed on my room and put that note in his pocket before writing his own number on the paper. "I am leaving you my cell number Molly." Thomas said and then began to make a list. "If you hear anything about Harry Dresden's death or sightings of him, Carlos Ramirez, the White Council, or even other vampire sightings call me at this number." He said showing me the number and the list of requirements. "So you won't forget." He said with that killer smile of his.

"I won't." I said resigned to the idea that he was going to leave without me telling him the truth.

He sensed my obvious discomfort but attributed it to the wrong thing. "Molly the last thing Harry ever asked me to do was to watch out for you." He said with just a hint of the true smile of the old Thomas. "As a last request I guess I need to take that seriously and I guess it pretty much remains open ended. So if you need anything, call me." He said not knowing his polite words were twisting a knife of guilt in my stomach.

"I will." I said not even trying to hide the pain since he would attribute it to my leg.

"Rest up." He said. "I want to see you walking around in the next week or so." I did not reply as he took that as his sign to leave.

I tried to go to sleep, I really did, but I could not get to that level of relaxation as my mind kept jumping from thought to thought. How would I get the information I needed from Stallings without giving Murphy too much false hope? Would Thomas get himself in trouble search for a White Council Warden rather than knowing the truth of my impersonation of his brother? Was I doing the right thing? Had I created an enemy out of the leader of the White Court by deceiving her? And of course the most important, where was Harry Dresden; was he actually dead?

I was surprised that while all these thoughts danced through my mind that the spirit voice of Margaret Dresden did not pipe up and try to provide any answers. I suspect she heard all my ramblings, as she had demonstrated an ability to respond to me even if the question was not directed at her. That meant she was likely giving me my space and merely listening as I worked things out for myself.

I guess I should be blessed that the spirit my soul was invaded by was female. Had it been a male spirit like Harry, then I probably would have had him trying to offer me suggestions for all these problems. Guys are like that; see a problem fix a problem. They just don't understand that women many times are merely venting when they talk about problems, not seeking someone else to come in and solve them all.

The phone beside my bed rang startling me out of my recollections and making me look at the battery operated clock on the wall. Who the heck was calling me at three in the morning? I had to assume that it could only be Thomas, but he had only left less than three hours ago so that meant either he was in trouble or he had found something really important and had to tell me immediately.

"Hello?" I picked it up after only the second ring. I did not sound like I had been woken up from a dead sleep, but I likely still had a definite wasted tone in that single word. Hell it was three in the morning, what would any normal person expect from the person they had woken up at this ungodly hour?

"I assume I am speaking with Margaret Katherine Amanda Carpenter?" The voice on the other end asked. What the hell? A wizard's true name is supposed to be a very closely guarded secret. Now here was another person who had access to mine. This rapidly increasing list becoming a trend did not bode well for my long term future. However I did note the voice was female and very childlike.

"You are speaking to her though my friends actually call me Molly." I said hesitantly. "And who is this?"

"I only have one friend, though he is someone close to you as well." She said. "He like to call me Ivy."

Holy crap! Okay I will do penance for that later. Anyway Ivy is the pet name that Harry gave to The Archive, who is like a living Wikipedia of all human knowledge. I don't actually fully understand the details of this except that I knew she literally knew pretty much everything about everything. If it was written down or electronically recorded somewhere, in any language, then The Archive knew it and could add these details together to get as close to full understand of reality as any mortal or most immortals could. This put her on a knowledge par with most of the major players. She did not have God's Omni Sentience of knowing everything, but she was pretty darn close.

Usually this power was handed off from mother to daughter, in most cases when the daughter reached their mid-thirties or so. In the case of Ivy, however, her grandmother had been The Archive and had been killed rather young therefore automatically transferring this power to her own daughter who at seventeen was emotionally unable or unwilling to handle this responsibility. Ivy's mother thereafter committed suicide right after gaining these powers causing all that knowledge to transfer to her own infant daughter who now seemingly decided for some reason to call me out of the blue. And let me be clear for those of you who do not understand sarcasm, someone like Ivy doesn't ever call you out of the blue.

"Um…what can I do for you?" I asked since my protocol lessons with Harry had not covered this particular scenario.

"You can do nothing at all." She said. "This call is based solely upon what I can provide to you." Having a pre-teen girl sounding like the Godfather at the day of his daughter's wedding is more than enough to jolt a person into full consciousness.

"Margaret, how did she know my name and where I was?" I asked inside my head sensing that the shade was just as intrigued by this call as I was. I hoped she could give me some answers to better prepare me for dealing with this situation.

"She likely knows your name from your birth certificate." Margaret responded almost immediately. "You location and likely room number were on file with the hospital computers so that would not take long to retrieve either." The shade's quick explanation made complete sense of how but not why, which she realized as well. "But the real question is why would she make this call? The Archive is supposed to maintain neutrality. A call to you and an offer of information is outside of that common definition."

"Ivy I thought you were neutral in all things." I said repeating Margaret's point. I remembered that Harry had tried to get The Archive's help to rescue his daughter just last week and that she had explained that she was limited in what she could provide even to the person she herself considered as only real friend in the world.

"That is true." Ivy confirmed. "But recently my neutrality in these events was compromised by another. A being of sufficient power found a means to extract information from me in order to serve her own purposes." Ivy said in a neutral tone but with words that nearly blew my mind at their deeper implication; especially 'sufficient power' and 'extract information.'

A dozen or more fallen angels, called the Denarians, had tried this once before and nearly succeeded if not for the actions Harry had taken in The Archive's defense. During that attempt however, Ivy had battled eight of these nigh immortal beings by herself, even with limited magic available, and destroyed more than a few in the process until the rest finally found a means to take the child down. The thought that someone, perhaps some of the surviving Denarians such as that psycho Tessa who was just cruel enough for repeating this type of thing, might have made another attempt and succeeded in some small way filled me with anger and with fear. My magic powers may be growing, but I knew I was not in the Denarians' league by any stretch of the imagination yet. Harry where are you?

"Who attacked you?" I asked fearing the answer in actuality but at least then I would have a name to put with my problems.

"Providing that answer would violate my neutrality for she who attacked me does not know that you are actively trying to stop her even if you do not yet know it either?" The Archive responded like an annoying computer. Plus it showed that she had a lot more information on my current activities than I thought was possible.

"What do you mean I am actively trying to stop her?" I asked. "I am a patient in a hospital bed."

"That is true but according to my files you are also currently imitating Harry Dresden." Ivy responded. "The Chicago Police Department's reports on the shooting at the marina list Harry Dresden as the likely victim of the shooting and that due to the amount of blood loss found at the scene, he is likely dead even though no body has been recovered.

"Just this morning, Officer John Stallings who has dealt with Harry in the past wrote a classified Special Investigations memo that he saw someone he thought was Harry Dresden last night asking about the current Komodo dragon case in the Chicago zoo. These reports are kept locked in a safe for those who might follow in case the investigating officer turns up dead."

"The gangster John Marcone has issued written orders for his agents to keep an eye out for 'someone who may or may not be' Harry Dresden and report what he appears to be up to." Ivy continued.

"Lara Raith had her assistant Justine, who writes everything down, issue orders that White Court vampires were to report to Justine any possible encounters with Red or Black Court vampires and that Justine was to pass this information along to Harry Dresden when he calls."

"And a White Council report was recently completed by Captain Anastasia Luccio concluded that Harry Dresden's death cannot be confirmed as of this point, therefore the Warden's will place a continuing stay upon carrying out your execution until such time as the issue of Wizard Dresden's status is fully confirmed." Ivy surmised a list of data elements that when put together made it seem like someone was indeed impersonating Harry Dresden and the White Council report certainly made me the one with the most means, motive, and opportunity, hospital bed not withstanding.

"Wow, you would be a great character for appearing on CSI." I said not willing to quite admit she was right.

"Personally I prefer to watch ICarly." Ivy responded reminding me she was only eleven or twelve years of age regardless of how much information the child had at her disposal.

"Let's assume for the moment you are correct." I said. Hard to argue with a child information protégé I figured. "If you cannot tell me who it is that attacked you then what can you tell me that would not violate your neutrality?" I asked skeptically.

"I can provide you the information she obtained from me." The Archive responded. "In that way, since both sides have it, the balance will once more be established." She paused in her words and then added something additional that was also surprising to me. "I also know of the kindness you showed me with the Denarians. To pay you back in part for that, I will even translate the information for you because it was originally in Latin." She said making me immediately realize she was offering me Stallings's evidence.

"Hold on and let me write this down." Hell I did not trust my memory to this even if I did have Margaret's shade listening in as well. Thankfully the scratchpad and pen were still where Thomas had left them when he was done making his own notes.

"Okay I am ready." I said referring to the pen in my hand and not my mental state.

"How to Achieve Bloody Vengeance." The Archive said as I began to scribble furiously. Yeah if that were the title then I was not sure I wanted to hear the rest even though I knew I had to.

"You start with the blood from a child generations removed." Ivy spoke making me shudder at the thought of blood of a child. I wondered if this were tied to Harry's daughter. I was in a hospital based upon someone wanting the blood of that particular child and it had not worked out so well for them; or eventually for her parents either.

"Then you feast with the bloody decadence of a baron of avarice." I scribbled on and was forced to stop when Ivy informed me that she had said the word 'avarice' as in greed rather than Avalon as in the resting place of King Arthur that I had mistakenly written. It was odd learning through this that Ivy could correct my homework just as I was doing it.

"You must view the bloody visions of what the future holds." She said and I copied this down without a problem this time. Small words work so much better in a crisis.

"While you listen to the bloody secrets whispered by the spirits." Have I mentioned the inflection she placed on the word bloody was a bit distracting when copying this all down?

"Know the scent of blood from an eternal loved one's death." Ivy continued as if reading from a card, which is probably how it appeared in her mind.

"Bathed within the blood drenched by the hand of God over sinners." She continued.

"Steal the final drops of blood from the Angel of Death." She said. I was distracted for a second as I realized this whole Scooby Doo mystic mystery was really not so cool when you have to live it.

"And when all steps are joined into bloody vengeance then the one who is dead shall be restored to life." Ivy said with the sounds of finality that let me know that her information for me was at its conclusion. I wrote this all down and looked at it, knowing she was somewhere doing the very same thing in her own mind. The implications that someone wanted to bring someone dead back to life, and that Harry's daughter may be a part of this was just a little too much of a coincidence for me.

"Did I get it all correct?" I asked just for confirmation since I know she could not tell me much more.

"You did." Ivy confirmed. "And I must say your penmanship in a crisis is better than most doctors writing out prescriptions." She noted though I did not know if this was meant as an honest observation or some type of The Archive inside joke.

"Okay, is there anything else?" I asked since I knew what she would willingly tell me was completely up to her to decide and would not change based upon any pleas I might make.

Ivy paused in her thoughts and I could almost feel her debating over what to say or not to say. Finally she broke through. "Yes I have three more pieces of information that you will need to know."

Wow that seemed a lot from someone who was neutral. "First of all, my guardian Kinkaid took the attack on me as a personal insult to his reputation. He is therefore making his way to Chicago to assist you in your endeavor. Please try to ensure he makes it back to me as he is the only one able to make up good bedtime stories that I have never heard before." I had heard Harry talk about Kinkaid's killing prowess. The fact that he was a good storyteller for a child did not seem to match the mold.

"Second, to pay off the rest of my debt to the kindness that you show to children such as me I tell you that when you reach points of doubt, if you follow the Path of the Eagles as it will lead you to your enemy." She said. I scratched down the words 'Path of the Eagles' on the notepad as well.

"Last, I suggest you check out the breaking news on television right now." She finished. "You have my admiration Molly. Please take care of yourself and Harry's friends." Before I could even answer her I heard the telephone line on the other side disconnect.

I calmed myself down as much as I could through the chi meditation that Hisha had taught me and even started more of my body's healing before I reached for the remote and turned on the television. Had I grabbed for it first I had no doubt that in my emotionally tumultuous state I would have fried both it and possible even the television by trying to turn it on. Thankfully the tv was still tuned to the local news channel so I saw what Ivy was directing me to as soon as the picture came up.

The scene was one of destruction and mayhem in one of the downtown business areas of Chicago not far from the university where Will and Georgia lived. A sporting goods store appeared to be burning out of control and fire trucks were on the scene battling the blaze and trying to keep it from being spread to adjoining buildings. On the street cars were either crushed or burning as well. And of course even at three in the morning the noise and flames were enough to draw a small crowd of onlookers, mostly the same college kids, likely coming home from parties or racing over from the dorms to see what was happening. I turned up the volume to hear what was being said.

"Updating our breaking news story." The desk reporter said. From the look of her she was not anyone important and probably had the late night slot for these types of one in a million events so that the big named, and even bigger pay checked, anchors could sleep at home at night. Well now this intern was getting her fifteen minutes of fame it seemed.

"A third possible terrorist attack has occurred in the City of Chicago in little over a week." She said professionally without emotion. "Last week's bombing of an office building and the attack upon the FBI's Chicago office has now been repeated by what appears to have been a combination bombing and arson attack on a sporting goods store. Thankfully, the fire department reports that it appears no one was in the store at the time of the attack, and only one passing car was overturned by the explosion."

The on scene camera man panned to the overturned dark BMW. I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach of déjà vous. I knew that car even before the reporter continued her story.

"The driver of that car was rescued by firefighter and emergency medical personnel earlier tonight and was caught on camera by some of the first witnesses on the scene." She said playing some tape of the driver getting placed onto a stretcher and then four of the emergency workers straining to lift the gurney and get it into the ambulance. While the video footage was a bit grainy, probably from someone's video cell phone, and being taken at night, and along with the dancing lights from the burning building, I still was pretty certain I recognized the individual being carried out. I mean really, how many drivers are the size of a gorilla and have red hair?


	7. Chapter 7

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 7_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

The voice coming from directly behind me, in what I had assumed was a currently closed for the night perfumery store nearly made me jump out of my skin. I whirled around to find myself facing a being who was assuredly the last sight that thousands, it not millions, of mortal people had witnessed right before they died; death that I might add were almost always in the most violent of means. But more on that in a moment, I guess I should let you know how I got here into this particular predicament first.

The fact that someone had obviously had taken their shot at removing Gentleman Johnny Marcone was by and of itself enough of a reason to draw my interest in these events. And from the damage to the car and the way Mr. Hendricks appeared to be either unconscious or perhaps dead, that meant somebody or something of real power had been behind the attack. It did not escape my immediate perception that this attack was coming on the heels of my meeting with Marcone when we had jointly considered the possibility that someone had made their attack upon Harry merely as a means to get closer to Marcone. Now seeing the destruction playing out on my hospital television made me wonder just how close to the truth our speculations of the previous evening had truly been. And if I wanted to find out the answer to that particular question then just lying here in my hospital bed watching the news was not going to provide me means to do so.

Harry had always told me when time permits think through all the available options so that I would not get manipulated into making the wrong assumptions. For example, technically it was possible that what really happened at that store was in reality nothing more than what had been reported; the sporting goods shop could have been a target for a terrorist bombing. But that seemed incredibly unlikely to me as there were no immediately reported casualties which was something the news anchor made certain to report often due to the strangeness of that fact.

The terrorists that I saw normally talked about on television usually aimed for events that caused lots of casualties rather than attacking empty building unless they were sending some sort of message like environmental terrorists burning down expensive new houses. I could not come up with a conceivable reason why anyone would attack a sporting goods store to make their point. Sure Harry's office building had been bombed when it was empty or very nearly so, but I knew the truth was that this had been a targeted attack of opportunity only with the dual purposes of killing Harry and his friends as well as a last resort attempt at destroying the records the Red Court kept stored in computer servers in the same building.

Okay removing the terrorist angle there still was the chance that this was exactly what everyone would soon suspect was a targeted hit against Johnny Marcone. Organized crime groups often battled over territory and were not above targeted hits on the heads of their rivals. Car bombs were often a weapon of choice in such attacks as well, ranking second right behind a simple and violent shooting.

The problem with this particular theory is that Mr. Hendricks was far too savvy a bodyguard to telegraph his moves far enough in advance for someone to plant a bomb in the sporting goods building on the off chance that Marcone's car would drive by close enough for this attack. I therefore chalked this up as highly unlikely unless Hendricks himself was in on the attack, which seemed incredibly improbable based on the results the attack caused him. Plus a bomb outside of an armored car driving by was too iffy of an attack by anyone who knew Marcone because they had to know if he lived through it then their own life was suddenly worthless. Therefore, someone gathering enough intelligence to know where Marcone would be at a given time and place would likely also be wise enough to use more direct means to improve the chances of killing the gangster such as using a sniper rifle like was used on Harry. I could not see Hendricks making enough mistakes to allow for the story playing out on my television screen. So like terrorist attac, targeted assassination by bomb seemed just as unlikely a scenario.

There was of course always the option that these events were just random chance. I did not think that a sporting goods store would have a need for a natural gas line but still one may pass directly under the building and because of some mishap also have inadvertently caused an explosion for some reason. But once again the fact that this would happen just when the most notorious gangster in Chicago happened to be passing by strained credibility to a level that I was not willing to accept. So the mere accident scenario was also not a feasible possibility.

So that left me with what I considered the only truly viable possibility; someone had indeed directly targeted Marcone but they had done so with a rather destructive form of magic that left fire and explosions in their wake. I knew of course the last time the Denarians had targeted Marcone they had done so with an exploding building and lots of fire that resembled in many ways what I was seeing. The same group had attacked The Archive as well after that and now she had just reported another attack on her person? The coincidences were certainly starting to add up and I really did not like what they were smelling like to me.

Of course the best way to prove it one way or another was to get down there and see if the smell of brimstone was in the air. The Denarians had access to hellfire and the byproduct on that particular source of magic fire was the rather distinctive odor that once you smelled you never forgot. And since of course there was no way for me to catch that scent lying here in my bed it meant that I would have to get out of the hospital and over to the scene to check things out for myself.

So that left me with the choice; do I check things out as Molly or as Harry? On the one hand Molly would attract far less attention since the university was just up the street and I was the perfect age to be attending classes. One more college age coed hanging around and staring at the fire and destruction would hardly make the news or set off anyone's suspicions who saw her. Of course the downside was that the police regularly took pictures of those in the crowd at a crime scene because of sometimes those responsible hung around to enjoy the show. This was particularly normal for crimes like arson since pyromaniacs performed these actions because of their love for fire. A simple coed Molly Carpenter photographed at a crime scene when she is supposed to be laid up in the hospital was perhaps the worst situation that I could put myself in for it would remove all plausible deniability of my involvement in things and then lead to people assuming that Harry was indeed dead. This of course would require my immediate termination by the Wardens as well. So Molly was obviously not the best choice for this operation.

On the other hand Harry Dresden was supposed to be dead, and let's be honest, the leather duster and staff were hardly what anyone, well anyone but Harry, would consider discrete. He would most certainly be remembered by those who caught a glimpse of him in the crowd more so than just another coed. And with the FBI still wanting to talk to him about events from last week, having Harry show up at the scene of what might be a third terrorist event in the City of Chicago would cause him even more trouble in the long run.

"That is indeed true my dear, but it is only a factor if Harry is actually still alive." Margaret's voice reasoned in my mind as she had listened to my internal deliberations. "And on the other hand having Harry spotted at so obvious a place that suffered a magical attack would go a long way to convincing those in the magical know such as the Wardens and the White Council that Harry Dresden was likely very much still alive even if they could not locate him or understand his purpose."

"I cannot believe you would willingly want me to harm the memory of your son like that." I said with a shock. I could not picture how a woman who loved her child would want to see him as a terrorist or villain of any sort. That did not fit the maternal instinct I had observed in my own mother.

"I do not want that Molly." His mother's voice corrected my assumptions. "I would much prefer that my son be found alive, healthy, and happy. Barring that possibility I would then like everyone in this city and the magical community to acknowledge the goodness in his heart and that he had tried all his life to do the good and right thing." She explained. "I find it ironic that the ones who had been the most likely to do it was when that Red Court vampire Bianca gave him a tombstone saying '_Here Lies Harry Dresden. He Died Doing the Right Thing._' I find it ironic that in the end it was his enemies that knew my son better than those who should have been his allies." I knew by this reference she was speaking of the White Council and not those of us who had fought and bled with Harry up until the end.

"The first scenario is beyond our ability to control, and the second is completely unlikely to happen while the White Council is controlled by those who are focused upon obeying its laws more than looking for truth or justice." I remembered that Luccio had told us that this is why the Wardens had considered Margaret Dresden so dangerous to the White Council; she was filled with revolutionary ideas about justice more than divine right of the Senior Council or the right of those who wielded power.

"That leaves me with only one true way of honoring my son's memory." Margaret Dresden said both defiantly yet with a deep sense of sadness. "It is to ensure in death he continues to perform as he did in life. Can you really tell me that if he had the opportunity to protect you from an execution by the White Council and the Wardens that he would not try to do so with everything he had available to him and care less about what it did to his reputation in the process?" She asked me.

I could not find an argument to refute this logic. Harry would most certainly place himself on the line for me yet again given the opportunity because he had already done just that so many times in the past. But still while it is one thing for him to do it for me it was another for me to do it in his stead. But then I heard his voice telling me before I left that I had the choice to run far away and hide as deep as I could or to face up and fight when called upon to do it. I might like the idea of running and hiding but I could not do that; not if I wanted to remain true to everything Harry taught me. So I found myself in the rather odd position that in order to honor him and his teachings, I had to help to destroy his reputation even further.

"Alright let me grab the coat and hat." I said getting myself out of bed and once I had those on remembering to reset my illusion wards one more time as I left. Dawn was still three or more hours away and thankfully the hospital served breakfast an hour or two after that so with any luck I would be back long before any of this became an issue. Of course the twinge of pain my leg every time I stepped on it reminded me that taking things slow and easy if I was not going to rest was going to be important.

Thankfully the university was only a few miles from the hospital and at this time of night that meant I did not encounter any real traffic until I got closer to where the police had cordoned off the crime scene. Like I said I look like a college student even before I put up my illusion and dressed up in my Harry costume so even though my car did not have a parking sticker for the campus I was waved through by a nice young uniformed officer who looked really tired to park in the dormitory parking lot. I chose a spot in the darkest area away from where he was standing an only when I was sure no one was around did I don the outfit, and put on my Harry face, so to speak.

I stayed naturally to the darker sides of the street as I made my way toward the scene of all the activity. The good news was that those from the campus who were still awake and interested in seeing what was going on had all pretty much arrived ahead of me, and thankfully the fire was still burning well enough that this crowd of students had not reached the point of boredom and started shuffling back to their own beds. That meant I had the roads pretty much to myself and that no one was watching me coming up the street behind them. All in all this was a good beginning as far as I was concerned.

The occasional flash of light told me that the crime scene photographer was on the job taking his pictures of the damage and the crowd so I made sure to work my way far around the backs of the groups of students seeking a spot where I could observe what was taking place but hopefully not draw too much attention to myself. It seemed that the location that met these needs the best was a boutique over on the far side closer to Marcone's overturned car and while it would take a little bit of stealth for me to get there, the arrival of a third fire engine, accompanied by its lights and sirens, coming up the same street I had just traversed provided a convenient distraction to keep most people looking the other way. I mean really, show me any person who does not look when a fire engine comes racing up toward them.

The twelve foot wide front display window of the boutique had interestingly enough not taken any damage from the explosion, but the mere three foot wide door right beside it had been complete shattered from one or more flying bricks from the sporting goods shop explosion. The damage they had inflicted had been done so well in fact that almost no glass remained in the door and even the aluminum crossbar and door handles had been sheered cleanly away by the projectiles' passage as well. I figured as long as I was careful where I placed my feet so not to slip or make too much noise then this should make the perfect location to observe things from and hopefully begin my own investigation once the situation was brought under control. I stepped inside the building's shadow bathed entrance and turned to watch what was taking place outside, happy to note this position gave me an angle on Marcone's car that the television had not been able to.

On television I had merely observed an overturned car, which was a fairly normal occurrence from an explosion. But from this line of sight I saw what could only be the remnant lines of magical force that had been used to rip the car to shreds and from this direction almost like the giant talons of some sort of truly enormous creature. I had seen more than a few enormous creatures and was comforted that while similar in general result, these marks were way too big to be anything like those. I figured they had to be the result of some sort of specially designed buzz saw like spell designed to cut through resistant metal like bank safe doors and so forth. And the spell had accomplished its purpose by tearing through the car's steel and Kevlar reinforced armored body like scissors going through paper.

And then I figuratively nearly jumped out of my skin. Were my name Peter Parker I'm sure I would have had my spider sense give me an appropriate warning but since I was merely an apprentice wizard blessed, or cursed depending on your views, with a gift of magic and not a teenager who had been bit by a radioactive spider I had no such warning at my disposal. My first indication that I was in any danger at all was from the sudden presence of a chillingly cold yet incredibly sharpened touch of the blade of a sword placed on the side of my neck by the jugular vein, and on my actual neck no less not where Harry's neck would be. The cold of its unexpected touch nearly made me shiver in response but the feel of this way too sharp steel overcame even this otherwise uncontrollable action.

"Harry Dresden is dead." The obviously lethally feminine voice spoke from directly behind me. If death came with a silky and sultry voice then that particular specter was right then standing directly behind me. And at that moment while she had me dead to rights, the blade moved away from my neck allowing me to spin around to face the last living thing many of history's greatest warriors had ever seen.

Ms. Gard was the living epitome of a true Viking woman. Standing slightly taller than my own six feet in height and with hair so bright blonde as to make my own natural locks look shaggy and discolored by comparison she was every bit a deadly beauty. Rather than armor and a horned helmet she wore a tailored business suit that showed off all her feminine curves in a complementary rather than an exhibitionist way. Furthermore the master craftsman still found the means to pad the suit sufficiently to mostly hide the pair of automatic pistols she kept holster under each arm; well her own natural padding had something to do with disguising those as well.

The appraising look that she gave me was at once both sisterly and entertained, however I could sense an underlying tension that had her alert and on edge. She did not consider me an actual treat at the moment, not more than anyone else, which is why the blade stayed immediately ready to respond to her arm's commands. I had to be careful just which of Harry's sarcastic witticisms I decided to toss out for her to parry or skewer on the gleaming sword in her well manicured hand.

"You sound awfully sure of that fact when you are looking at him." I said finding my voice and just enough courage to not sound like a squeaking mouse standing before the smiling house cat. "With such a tone it is almost as if you were suggesting that you were the one to send him on to his final destination." I said vaguely in my choice of words both to challenge if she knew who was behind the attack or, if she was truly a Valkyrie, perhaps she would have insight if Harry was truly dead.

"While your master would have certainly been welcomed as a warrior of renown by my kind I know his soul was not carried to that particular destination by myself or by any of my sisters." Ms. Gard said without insult at the challenge I had tossed her way for in her eyes being offered a place among the greatest warriors of Valhalla was the highest of honors that a mortal could receive at their death.

The fact that she referred to Harry as 'my master' confirmed for me as Margaret had surmised that the Valkyrie not only had the ability to see through my illusion and therefore knew I was not him, but also she was familiar enough with who I was to be able to recognize me. That second fact was disappointing as I had hoped that perhaps she would not be keeping regular track of me as I usually played only a minor supporting role in those situations where she and Harry had worked together. While notoriety might be cool as a master wizard to intimidate your foes, for an apprentice it was merely another target hung around your neck saying open season to those with interest to take up the hunt.

"The question remains why would his apprentice choose to dress up like a notable warrior?" She said with steel in her voice; and of course also ready in her hand as well. "In my own culture such an act is considered an insult to both the one who cannot stand upon their own merits, and a taint on the one deceased.

"Perhaps that is true of Vikings." I responded. "But Harry Dresden kept many evil things at bay and away from our city because of his mere presence. He may have even given his life defending those who could not defend themselves. Now your boss is well aware that there are evil things from the magical side of the spectrum who think Harry is dead and are even now currently testing the waters to see if Chicago is safe for them to hunt in once again. I do this not out of any self promoting ideas to live off of his reputation but instead to protect those that he fought so hard himself to protect."

Ms. Gard looked upon me solemnly as she considered my words then finally she raised her sword in salute. "You do your master honor in picking up his burden." She said with respect. "Just do not become complacent with hiding in his shadow. I see in you the potential for a warrior every bit his equal." She said surprising me. "We female warriors must not let the men come to think we require them for anything more than a good roll in the hay!" She said with a naughty smile.

"Ummm… thanks." I said not knowing how to respond to such a statement. I mean really, there was almost no chance I would ever live up to the reputation Harry had. If for no other reason my magic was sensitive based and Harry's was combat based. I could trick and deceive some of the time but when the time came to actually throw down with the bad guys, I was usually highly outclassed by the types of things that sought to kill me.

"Consider it merely sisterly advice from one who has dealt with males of large ego for more years than either of us want to think of." She said with a strained smile before turning to watch the continuing battle of the three fire units against the blaze in the sporting goods shop.

"I take it you were not in the car when Marcone was attacked?" I asked looking to see what she knew.

"No." She explained while we both watched the fire blaze up even higher. "Hendricks was driving Marcone to a location near here to meet with me in order to discuss what I had found so far. He had also told me that he had agreed to share information with 'Harry Dresden' as part of the bargain they had come to last night. You must understand that I found his Harry's survival to be every bit as intriguing as Marcone had." She looked upon me with a stare that said she knew I had been the one who had deceived her boss and perhaps gotten him into this situation.

"Yeah about that…" I said somewhat awkwardly. "My goal in seeking out your boss was to learn what he might know about the attack on Harry. I figured he was more likely to talk to someone who had survived the attack rather than a mere apprentice who wanted to get revenge for her boss." I explained and could feel her considering my action and judging their worthiness based upon a Viking sense of justice.

"We both considered that the attack on Harry might have been just a means of clearing the way for another attack upon your boss." I said relaying the earlier conversation. "Because of this we agreed to share information at least until the point where we could confirm that our interests in these events were no longer shared." I explained the deal and its full implications on these events.

"I know. I came to the same possible conclusion when word reached us that the police were investigating the possible murder of Harry Dresden." She replied without looking at me. "It was I who advised Marcone to prevent the papers and television from running the story as it would put whoever was behind the attack off balance and unsure of their success."

"You did that?" I asked in shock.

"Indeed." She replied. "Harry Dresden has this annoying habit of ultimately destroying those who underestimate him. As I saw it anyone smart enough to try and take a wizard out first, assuming this were part of a plan for going after Marcone, would demonstrate the same level of intelligence by making sure that Dresden was indeed actually dead before implementing the second part of that scheme. Therefore the fact that there was no reporting of this event in the news would likely make the assassin delay his or her attack upon Marcone until they could confirm Dresden was dead which of course would also allow me time to hunt them down."

"And did you find out who was behind the attack?" I asked hoping she had and that she had done something incredibly cruel to them as a form of punishment before sending them to Hell. I know that though was probably evil but I am only mortal when it comes to turning the other cheek on those who hurt the people that I love.

"No I did not." Gard said through clenched teeth. Obviously failure was not something she dealt with well.

I thought on this for a while as we both stared at the fire and those still doing battle with it. With three fire trucks on the scene the blaze had been contained from spreading, mostly by knocking down the walls closest to the adjoining buildings, but the fire itself showed no signs of going out until it had consumed everything in that store. The water tossed upon it merely seemed to flash to steam without doing much, if anything, to knock the flames back. Even small puddles in the street seemed to resist the ability of mere water to extinguish it.

"That is some incredibly potent fire." I said aloud to Gard.

"Indeed." She replied. "It is more akin to the spouting of a volcano than to a mere blaze. I think it has the emergency crews confused as to its nature which is why their response has been so lacking in success."

"Did you perhaps catch a whiff of brimstone?" I asked hoping to confirm this once and for all.

"I did not." She replied knowing that I was hinting at hellfire. "But I have approached from upwind and not been in a position to." I had come through the smoke cloud and might have smelled brimstone, but with all the various plastics and other products burning out of control in the building I could not say so for sure.

Now focused upon the scene and not having to sneak around or deal with a sword blade at my throat my enhanced sensitivity to magic told me that something rather large had occurred here. I know you are probably thinking 'well duh' but I mean this is more than just the average magical battle. I had been on a small island when the Handmaiden of the Summer Court had tossed about so much lightning magic that the very air seemed charged with a tingling and the smell of ozone. Standing here now, even a distance away, I got much the same feeling though instead of lightning, fire had been the element of choice with which to reap this level of destruction.

The crowd of observers was still fairly large and I noted for some it had taken on a party atmosphere as one of the local convenience store began doing a rather brisk business on six packs of beer. Yes I guess a three alarm fire did qualify as a reason to drink when you are in college.

Like the police I also kept my eyes focused more upon the crowd than the fire to see if anyone of interest was lurking among their numbers. If Ms. Gard was right about a cautious adversary then it would not be inconceivable that the attack on Marcone could just as well be a means to try and draw Harry Dresden out from hiding and prove he had survived the attack. Probably the big wig behind the attack with this level of spell power would not have stuck around, but I was finding out big wigs also like to have a few minions around to handle just these types of menial tasks for them while the bosses focused upon more important matters. The problem of course was minions were not actually three foot tall and sporting yellow skin and big eyes like a recent animated movie suggested. But still I had learned with careful observation you could find those who seemed out of place.

In this case there was indeed one person who did not fit the normal attitude of a crowd of late teens watching a building burn down and cheering as each portion of the structure collapsed upon itself. In the flickering light I could see she was of dark complexion with a bronze-like skin of a Native American. She also had long brown hair that carried a few streaks of grey in it that testified to me as further evidence she was almost assuredly not one of the regular college coeds.

I guess she could have been a professor, but the way she moved with a pure animal grace and the sense of taught rippling muscles running right beneath her skin told me she was more closely aligned to an athlete than an academic. But it was the intensity of her eyes, the way she measured up the people in the crowd and the first responders, accepting some as a potential threat and dismissing the others as merely prey that told me she was much more than an average middle aged woman. The only other odd thing was the deep sense of respect she seemed to have for the fire for she always stayed a much more reasonable distance from it than others in the crowd.

I stayed standing hidden in the shadows as her gaze finally drifted toward my direction. Her eyes paused when they got to me even though there should have been no way she could see me between the combination of the flickering firelight and the deep shadows in the boutique in which I stood. Then I noted that her eyes opened just slightly as if in recognition of who I was. Before I could make a decision on what to do about all of this she turned and slipped back into the crowd, and even though she would naturally stand out, she disappeared from sight in only three steps.

I had not forgotten that The Archive had said she had been attacked by a woman. Based upon what I had just seen I wondered if perhaps her attacker had been the same woman. The fact that this was where Marcone was attacked and he had been the one to tell me of the zoo raid was also an interesting coincidence. Of course starting a fight among all these witnesses was not a great plan if she had trashed Ivy. But then again I did have an intimidating Valkyrie standing next to me too who did not take kindly on attacks made on her current employer.

"Ms. Gard I was wondering if you are you going to tell your boss about my deception?" I asked Marcone's employee as she stood a step behind me and to my left where I was the weakest and she could drive the blade she held through me if I did anything in her eyes that warranted such action.

"I am undecided upon that detail at this moment." She replied after a bit of a delay though I sensed honesty and a hint of uncertainty in her emotions. "I have a contract for protection of my employer that seems to be in jeopardy and that takes priority over your little story."

"I get that." I said in response. "My reason for asking is Marcone made a deal with who he thought was Harry Dresden." I explained with a hint of subtlety placed in my voice. "If you were to tell him the truth of the matter then he would be less than pleased and likely consider the contract between us null and void, correct?" I asked.

"That is most likely correct." She said and I could feel her eyes focused on the back of my neck where it connected to my shoulders. It is odd how you can sense some people's stares in that way.

"Well then if you see the contract as no longer in effect then I really have no reason to share any information I may have gathered that might be of use to you in this situation." I said explaining my position without being insulting to her authority.

"Well no reason except perhaps as a bargaining chip in exchange for your continued health." She said with a deadly seriousness that also was matter of fact like and not just threatening.

"Yeah well a situation like that would only also last until I no longer had the potential for any further information as well and then I would be equally expendable for the supposed insult." I reasoned trying with my voice and emotions to act nonchalant about her implied threat.

I let the silence last between us without moving and hoping I could keep myself from trembling. One of the cool capabilities that my magic had taught me was that while it was against the Laws of Magic for me to manipulate the mind of another with my spells, there were no conventions against me doing so to myself if I felt the need. I had learned that in situations like this a spell of courage aimed right back at me did wonders for keeping me calm. I would have to look at this more sometime and see what other interesting ways I could use this type of spell to my advantage; providing I lived through the next few minutes with an angry Valkyrie behind me.

Finally after about three minutes of silence Ms. Gard chose to break out silent standoff. "What exactly are your proposing?" She said in a tone that communicated she would not compromise her boss or her personal integrity for some foolish game.

"I think the deal we could strike would be rather simple." I said nonchalantly. "You merely continue to accept my illusion as Harry Dresden as the truth for the duration of our mission, and if we are eventually successfully you overlook this little detail in the final report you provide to your boss." I said thinking that if we failed I'd hardly be caring that I was adding one more name to the fairly long list of people wanting to kill me. "In exchange we operate under the deal that I had established with Mr. Marcone. I provide you all the information I have on events and my investigations and you do the same so we can take this bitch down ourselves." I said taking no effort to hide the emotional rush I had at the idea of taking revenge over whoever had taken shots at or killed Harry.

"You referred to our adversary as 'bitch.'" Ms. Gard looked intently at me. "That would seem an unlikely assumption unless you actually already have information that you have yet to share with me that point to a female agent." She pointed out.

"Yeah as a matter someone offered me that tidbit of information as well as other details." I replied showing the money I had in the pot without revealing all my hand.

"And you are confident that your source is truly reliable and not merely using you?" She asked glancing over my shoulder at the fire activity going on outside.

"I don't know about you, but Harry and I both consider The Archive to be a rather reliable source." I said name dropping as a means of tossing more verbal chips onto the pile for her to consider.

I half expected that Ms. Gard would take a moment or two to consider my offer before coming to inevitably accept it. As a complete surprise to me though, she reacted almost instantly to the deal. "I accept you offer and conditions." She said with a smile and while I reached out my hand to shake her own, it's not like I had to hide I was a female with her, she instead flicked her sword from a calm resting position directly at me so fast that it was actually striking its intended target before I even had the sense to react that the attack was taking place and therefore yelp in surprise.

The blade flashed unerringly through the air and only at the very last second did the angle change from purely horizontal and decapitating to just slightly at an upward angle. That minor change allowed the cutting edge to decapitate about a dozen crystal bottles of perfume aligned nicely on the shelf beside me while the rest of the trailing blade tossed them unerringly to douse their contents all over my newly acquired leather duster as well as splatter the wall right behind me. The rest of the blade's continuing motion passed within a finger's length of my shoulder and let than that even around the brim of my new Stetson hat before continuing the rest of its arc to return once again to its guard position.

I stumbled a step away with eyes wide in shock only then registering the sound of a male voice calling my name, well Harry's name actually, from behind me followed by the growl of something that will probably inhabit my nightmares from this moment on. I took a second step back so that I could keep the demonstrated deadly Valkyrie in front of me while still having my peripheral vision available in order to see who and what was coming my way from outside the door of the shop.

The closest of the two beings was the same bronze skinned woman I had observed earlier but as she reached the shadows before the door in near flat out run her body seemed to shimmer and blur as the solid lines of human flesh morphed into those of something only half human and still heading toward becoming all wolf. Those same intense eyes that had looked upon me with recognition now stared with malice and death though were not locked on me but instead aimed toward Ms. Gard who was also moving to bring her blade in line with the beast's charge.

Behind this unknown shapeshifter came Will Borden, a.k.a Will the Werewolf, who was dressed in his normal sweat clothes that were easily slipped off so that he could take on his animalistic form as well. I had only an instant to realize what was taking place, and then a second to prevent the bloodshed that was likely to follow if I stood and did nothing. Being just the type of fool that Harry was normally in such situations, I stepping between the gleaming sword and the angry female werewolf presenting my back to the Valkyrie's exposed and ready blade and my front to some rather long and gleaming actual canine teeth. Yes, I understand that this was hardly the smartest thing I could have done and I'm sure my life insurance actuary would have doubled the cost of my policy had he been there to see it.

"Wait!" I said raising my hand defensively to try and calm the charging wolf if she still possessed any sense of mind.

"Her name is Tera West." Margaret Dresden's voice informed me within my mind. "She was the lover of the loup garou that was manipulated into trying to kill Marcone nearly a decade ago."

"Oh this just gets better and better." I thought sarcastically to myself. Marcone had hired Ms. Gard because magical things like the loup garou had tried to kill him in the past and his normal defenses of the time had not been up to the task. And of course here I was standing between the guardian to fulfill this particular requirement and the original target of concern that caused her employment.

"Tera STOP!" I screamed hoping that my illusionary Harry voice worked upon animal senses as well as humans. Maybe I should go try it on Mouse who was with Harry's daughter at the Father Forthill's church orphanage. If it worked on that dog then I had no worries where any other animal was concerned because there were very few people as smart as Mouse.

Tera was moving way too fast to stop at my command and while she did not plow into me, she instead swerved around and leapt over a display counter in order to land and spin so that she kept her eyes fixed firmly on the Valkyrie. For her own part Ms. Gard only shifted her body to keep both of the newcomers in front of her in case they decided to rusher her at once without taking any further aggressive actions. Her deadly serious look and the gleaming blade in her hand was a subtle warning enough of the damage she was quite willing to inflict if the pair chose to follow a course of violence.

"Are you okay Harry?" Will asked me with a sense of total surprise. "Apart from not being dead like everyone assumes I mean. Is Marcone's fem fatale here causing you problems?"

I suddenly knew why Gard had acted like she did. Since she could obviously see more than the average person she had looking over my shoulder recognized both Will and Tera West as being werewolves and as such she understood they would be far more sensitive to scents that a normal person. To improve my illusion she had doused me with perfume to mask any evidence that I was not the real Harry Dresden. From the looks on the pair's faces the trick had obviously worked at least for the moment.

"She was not actually attacking me." I said to Will and looked at Tera to try and get her to calm down as well as she stayed in this hybrid form. "Marcone was in that car that got tossed around out there and she is very single minded focused upon responding to any attack on her client with force of her own. I just happened to be inconveniently standing downstream from her accidental venting of rage."

"Um…okay." Will said accepting this since such things were not uncommon when dealing with the real Harry Dresden I guess. "What I real meant is how are you standing around at all? I mean Murphy and everyone seems to think you are dead." The last sentence bordered on an accusation of putting those Harry cared about and who cared for him through unnecessary pain. Of course it was not like I could relieve that particular feeling which is in part why I tried to avoid these encounters.

"Will there is a lot going on, not the least of which is the attempt on my life." I explained hoping this would sound reasonable to him. "I don't want to hurt any of you but I need to have the enemy think they have killed me so that I can figure out who is behind this and stop them."

"Let me help Harry." He pleaded with his eyes though his words were strong and steady. "I can keep your secret. Tera is here to midwife Georgia through the birthing of our first child. She will not need me around for that and even told Georgia that males should not be present. Let me back you up while you investigate. It would give me something useful to do while I wait to become a father."

"I can't do that Will." I said seeing a look of anger in response to my words flash across his normally friendly and jovial face.

"God dammit Harry I thought we were past all this." Will said with such rage than I could actually see the hairs on his arms starting to bristle up and lengthen slightly. "I don't want your protection. You are not Batman and I am not Robin. You don't get to pull that sidekick crap on me. I pick my own fights and if you don't want me standing beside you pooling our power like we have in the past then you can expect me to show up on my own."

"Will you don't understand I…" I tried to counter this discussion but obviously this was an area of previous contention and unresolved emotion between the two of them and I had stumbled into it without knowing it was there. In truth I could also feel his exacerbation on becoming a new father was keeping him off balance as well. Trashing a bad guy would be a way to release a lot of that anxiety he figured.

"Wizard I understand as the alpha male you desire to protect the younger members of your pack." Tera West said to me in a barking type of voice. "But there still comes a time where you must allow them to stand with you or else you must run them off from your pack completely." Great accept his help or break off one of Harry's oldest friends. That was really not a choice that I was comfortable making. But hey in my life when I get all confused it is usually just a warning things will get even worse.

"The canine psychology is all well and fine but I sense something evil is growing in the air." Ms. Gard said turning to look away from the three of us and instead to the activity still taking place outside. As if awaiting her notice and her words the remains of the sporting goods shop suddenly groaned as the flames within the gutted structure suddenly burst higher reaching for the sky in renewed fight.

The firefighters closest to the front wall of the building where they thought the battle had, if not been won, at least fought to a standstill, now dropped their hoses to turn and flee as if they possessed some sixth sense that told them the true level of their danger they were in. Unfortunately they were not nearly fast enough to escape the collapsing remains of the front wall that crashed down upon them. In that instant I saw the final proof that the fire could not possibly be of normal make for even the concrete cinderblocks burned and were becoming like magma. Normal fires just do not burn that hot.

Ms. Gard looked upon these trapped half dozen men and women with such a sense of cold emotionless that it seemed to me that the Valkyrie knew that they were going to die and accepted the inevitability of this act. I guess that must be an occupational hazard of her chosen career path. But it was not one for me.

"Harry?" Will started to ask me what to do. Fighting fires was not the same as fighting monsters.

"I'm on it." I said though in truth I had no idea what the hell I would do that the firemen had not already tried. My sensitive magic based spells were useless and, contrary to the old wives tale, flame was not a good option because you don't really fight fire with fire. That means Harry would likely be left with his other elemental preference.

"_Ventas servitas!"_ I called aloud drawing Ms. Gard's attention to me as I aimed my wand that under the illusion looked like a staff at the building that was still burning out of control. Instead of aiming the spell to blow a gust of wind onto the flames and therefore feed them, in my mind I pictured the center of the building where my gust of wind actually exploded from pushing all the air out away from the fire.

Have I mentioned I am nowhere near in Harry's class for spells like this one, and in fairness I think even he would have been hard pressed to pull this particular spell off under these conditions. I threw all my concentration into that spell and I could feel that it worked at first to a distance of twenty feet or so from the center before the magic I poured into it began to putter out and the air beyond began to push back against my strength. I was able to keep it at equilibrium for what seemed like eternity in an instant and then I felt the greater forces of nature turned their weight against me.

But at that same second I also heard the snap of what sounded like a saltine cracker and the force I was pushing with suddenly doubled and doubled again in a heartbeat whipping away the air from the building's ruins. Fire requires fuel, ignition, and oxygen; remove any one and the fire, even magical ones, can no longer burn. With all the air pushed away, even if for only a few seconds, the flames that could melt concrete bricks sputtered and died before the returning rush of air could keep them alive.

I staggered a bit from the strain. That was a lot of magic for me to focus and control even if I had not been the one to cast it all.

"Harry are you okay?" Will asked concerned. Our disagreement from a moment ago was obviously set aside.

"I will be okay in a minute." I gasped and knew I sounded as tired as I felt. "Go help pull those firefighters out before the flames start up again." I said pointing to the trapped and injured first responders and I tried to catch my own breath. Will nodded at the suggestion and Tera West back in nearly naked human form followed his lead. She did so more so to assist Will than to rescue these people she did not know is what her emotions told me.

I looked at Ms. Gard who was putting away the broken rune tile she had used to provide additional strength to my spell. "Thank you for your assistance." I said to her as she looked over at me.

"I promised to assist you with you Harry deception." She said quite naturally. "That wind spell you cast would have been just the type of foolishly heroic thing Dresden would have tried to snatch mortal lives away from the jaws of death. I merely ensured you kept up the illusion as was part of our agreed upon deal."

I thought on that. "Well thank you again anyway. You saved those lives even if I know I am not really in Harry's class where magic is concerned." I said wishing he were here so that I did not have to do this.

"You certainly are not." Ms. Gard agreed making me feel even worse as my weakness. "But still, knowing that limitation, you tried to save those peoples' lives anyway knowing it was beyond your ability to do so." She pointed out. "Because of such acts, they will raise a mug of ale to you in the Halls of Valhalla when I tell them of your bravery."

I looked shocked at this comment and then turned away in embarrassment focusing instead upon the scene outside the building where the trapped responders had by now been pulled to safety and were being tended to by medical technicians. There would be half a dozen or so more fathers and mothers who would go home tonight. The action was certainly worth a toast if for no other reason than that.

"Do you sense it?" Ms. Gard asked drawing her sword to a battle ready position. "I suspect the fire was merely a lure. Someone was awaiting our arrival and our spells now have told them that we are here."

I turned to look at her and question what she spoke of, but then my own senses reported a spell of some sort was underway. It was big magic, not like a giant lightning bolt, but rather like ten thousand little raindrops that make up an instant cloudburst. I had never sensed magic anything like this and while I had cast more than one spell at a time, ten thousand little ones was beyond my ability to even comprehend on how you would do it.

"What the heck creates spells like that?" I asked Ms. Gard who had a battle hardened look on her face.

"Midgardsormr!" Gard's face looked on with pure astonishment.

And then the world outside exploded as darkness welled up from the sewers and descended from the skies!


	8. Chapter 8

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 8_**

"Harry Dresden is dead!"

The voice rolled and thundered above the twin waves of darkness that erupted upon the scene of magical destruction. I suspect those outside in the midst of those waves likely did not even hear it over the cacophony of other more immediate sounds like the gnawing of teeth, the rapid flapping, and of course the screams of those around them. Or even if they did hear these words then it still probably did not make a terrible impact upon their conscious mind compared to the horror they were presented with that race toward then of which the members of the crowd remained totally unprepared for.

The already night dark sky had served as the perfect camouflage for the tens of thousands of bats that spiraled out of the sky and descended upon the crowd of first responders and those casual observers whose focus had been upon first and foremost the fire and the desperate rescue attempts after the building's collapse.

In synchronization with the bats, a thousand or more sewer rats simultaneously erupted from storm drains that lined the streets and rushed into the crowd nipping at unprotected ankles. This made footfalls of those who sought to flee from their charge and that of the bats unstable and either overly cautious allowing for even more attacks, or increasingly panicked and therefore more prone toward instinctual self survival. Those trying to be cautious found themselves knocked down by their compatriots filled only with fear and were soon eye to eye with the rats.

Even those regularly accustomed to horrors, blood, and even a taste of the bizarre, which describes both the average first responder and the average college student still willingly awake at this hour just to watch a fire, were not emotionally equipped to stand before such an onslaught. I felt the wave of sensitive magic radiating across the streets seeking to cause even more terror and pain in its wake and gave myself an extra dose of courage to resist the spell's power. But I could not help those in the streets succumbing to this unnatural fear and seeking a direction to flee or else a place of immediate shelter where none was to be found.

Even the ever stalwart and normally alert Will who had faced down more than his share of magical beings in the past had showed no sign of awareness of the threat from the spell or the creatures until they was already upon him. Tera's more animalistic nature and with the help of her enhanced senses, probably those of hearing and smell, gave the woman a second or two more in mental preparation before the others around her had been granted but that was still limited in its overall help to her as she was still surrounded by those unaware rather than what she would have preferred to be a disciplined pack trained to respond to her commands.

"The timing of this spell was not a coincidence. She was purposely biding her time and awaiting proof of your arrival and the demonstration of your magic was just the sign she required." Ms. Gard said to me as she stabbed the point of her sword into the floor by her foot and tore off the expensive suit coat she wore so rapidly that the designer buttons went flying across the room. The expensive white silk shirt underneath it went the same way as well leaving her wearing only a bra but in the process revealing to me the well muscled arms and six pack abs that these clothes had been concealing. She also showed no signs of mortal embarrassment or hesitance at this display, but then again looking like she did I could not imagine why she would.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked confused as my mind was running just an instant behind my mouth. She meant the one who had proclaimed Harry was dead of course not that the Valkyrie knew the identity of this being, at least not at present. "Do you know where she is?"

"Not yet and I won't likely from down here." She said looking to the carnage running rampant outside. "If you can you do something about these bats then perhaps I can put an end to all of this right here and now." She closed her eyes in what appeared no more than a long blink, whispering what my senses reported as faith magic in words of a prayer composed in the same odd language she had spoken with a moment before. When Ms. Gard opened her eyes a second later looking for my answer there was also a bright flash of light that originated from nowhere yet everywhere and her bare but equally muscled back now supported a pair of white angel-like wings. She yanked her embedded sword blade from the concrete floor, yes I caught the sword in the stone reference, and looked at me for my answer as she stepped toward the door to leave.

"Yep I'm on it!" I said intimidated by the whole true warrior maiden Valkyrie thing. I mean it is one thing to convince yourself that the person you are speaking casually with is a couple thousand year old handmaiden of Norse mythology but it is another situation all together to actually witness this transformation before your eyes. And having done so now it was not like I wanted to tell her no as she was already angry, based upon her projected emotions, and holding that intimidating looking sword.

That of course did not change the fact that I had no clue exactly how to take care of the bats that I had just signed up to do. The area was way too big for any form of fire that I might be able to toss and even if that were not the case the bats were also flapping around the faces of the panicked people so I'd cause a lot of injuries, scalding, or at least remove everyone's eyebrows if I could cover such a wide area. Wizards do not take the Hippocratic oath to 'first do no harm' like doctors do, but I have found through trial and error in Harry's lab, emphasis on error, that this is a pretty good concept for an apprentice to keep firmly entrenched in her mind as well.

After working with Harry's old teenage day's girlfriend Elaine Mallory and seeing the power she was capable of by tossed around lightning as her base element I had experimented a little with that type of magic on my own as well and even envision an area encompassing spell just like I had need for right now. Again I will remind you that combat spells are not my forte and for an area like this the only thing I had envisioned was a static charge type spell that I hoped would work like an area effect taser.

There are those rare occasions where a perky apprentice wizard wants to drop a crowd of fairly regular beings, like henchmen and minions, without killing them so you can get on to facing off with the actual evil overlord. Unfortunately my current capabilities with this spell only achieved the level of what Harry designated as 'Molly's backyard bug zapper' spell; great for taking out all the mosquitoes and house flies in the yard when we went to a cookout at my parents' house. So this dream of mine was not really a spell that was ready or at least going to do much against something the size and nimbleness of these radar guided rodents.

But hey maybe that was it! Radar is sound based which of course is right up my natural alley of talents so to speak. Of course I had never tried what suddenly came to me so this would be completely trial and error but hey desperate times call for and all those lovely old quotes. I followed the Valkyrie outside as she prepared to spring into the air and began drawing magic into myself. Whoever was controlling the bats and rats must have noted my preparations as well for the random surge of these creatures against the crowd slacked off as their attention and the wave of hatred from the mind controlling them turned directly upon me

The power of the magic being used was so strong that I could even feel the dominating spell on the creatures sending their thoughts and perceptions back to the mind that controlled the spell. Once more I was face with the undeniable yet intimidating fact that this wizard was keeping ten thousand or more spells running all at the same time! Man am I good at picking enemies or what?

On the bright side this change of focus allowed the regular people to escape and flee without pursuit, the first responders making sure to drag their own wounded with them. The nearly sole exceptions to this retreat were Will and Tera who took the opportunity to both fully transform once more to their wolf-like aspects to increase their speed and agility against the swarm of foes around them.

Gard reached up and before I had the chance to stop her, yanked three strands of hair from my head and slipped them into the pocket of her suit pants before pulling the same from her own scalp and handing to me. I looked at her in confusion and with a sense of undisguised concern as I continued to draw magic to me.

"In case we get separated and need to find each other." She said which made sense in the midst of a battle but was not something I particularly was pleased with. You can cause a wizard a lot of pain with a few strands of their hair. But on the positive side she had provided me the means to do the same as a contingency so I accepted that her intentions in this particular area were not the opening preparations for anything sinister.

Did I mention that the negative side to my pulling up magic was that the bats and rats were now focused upon me? Oh yeah, by the way as a little kernel of extra knowledge for you; I think bats and rats are generally disgusting and it literally took all my control not to flee as well ahead of those hordes of beady little red eyes and sharp teeth that were headed in my direction with purposeful pain intentions.

My internal magical tank reached full and I focused on the effect I was hoping for and cast my spell this time without a command word, since a verbal command word would actually distract from the effect in this case. Instead all I needed was to picture the magic firmly and a single clap of my hands. On my side the effect was generally like the noise of a small firecracker going off near you. However, to those creatures standing within the cone wave that stretch out in front of me where I had focused with my mind on sending this magic the effect was more akin to that of a sonic boom!

Windows shattered inward in building and parked cars, anti theft alarms in both began to wail, and secondary echoes rumbled outward literally like rolling thunder here at ground level for the next few instants. I would later survey the financial level of injury I had caused and realized that I was in my own way approaching Harry's skill at inadvertently causing property damage. Normally this would not be something to proclaim with pride, but hey since my job was trying to act like Harry, little things like inadvertent wide swaths of destruction went a long way to convincing people in the know like the White Council, the Wardens, and things from the Nevernever that their favorite Chicago wizard might indeed be still alive.

At the start of my spell the flight of bats had been closer to me because it had been much easier for them to disengage from streaking among the crowd merely by gaining altitude and then retargeting their focus solely upon me. The rats by contrast had to wind and weave their way through the feet of the crowd and while this allowed them to still bite at targets of opportunity that got to close, perhaps ten percent of their number were likewise crushed or wounded by panicked stomping feet that were trying to break contact with them as well. They had in short order though both regrouped to form their charge at me. But by that point the literal clap of thunder blasted into the reformed critter and vermin armies.

As it turns out bats have extremely sensitive hearing and a thunderclap blasted into their midst cut off their natural radar which made the ones on the outer edges of the spell spiral out of control as if blind and crash in midair into each other. But for the massed majority flocked in the center of where I had focused the magic the spell the sonic boom literally stunned their limited senses so badly that the creatures were unable to flap or even keep their wings spread wide enough to glide so instead they fell from the skies in a rain of bodies that shattered delicate wings or broke fragile necks when gravity brought them into terminal contact with the ground.

The rats already on the street were not as drastically affected as the bats though the sound wave did shock them into complete immobility since they had a natural aversion to excessive and sudden noise. I could sense this shock increased their natural fear of people and this worked against the domination spell that had called them forth from the sewers and enraged them to this level of fury. I wondered if this type of spell could this really be some form of sensitive magic in control of them that I had never heard of used before or had even thought to explore yon my own. If it was sensitive magic then the implications of this type of power to me were intimidating because it meant even though I was naturally gifted in this area I was still way out of my league.

"Well done!" Ms. Gard called as she launched herself up into the sky carried aloft on her snow white wings and bearing a deadly steel blade. Like me she too obviously sensed the enemy's magic as was trying to focus and determine its location so she could put that nearly four foot length of deadly steel to a proper use.

After only a few seconds for me to draw a few breaths and begin to collect magic to me once more I felt a new wave of magical fury infused upon the army of rats and perhaps the few hundred remaining bats that had been outside the effects of my spell. Through this powerful flow of emotion the magical domination began to reestablish itself in the face of the creatures' normal fears. That was enough to tell me that my fight was not over yet. The mind behind this attack was also smart enough to learn from its momentary setbacks and its first command was to spread its forces out as they came back under control before they started their advance toward me again. This time though I was able to get a general sense of the direction from where the spell had origination; not that I could do much about that at the moment however. I believe I mentioned I hate bats and rats right?

My next immediate goal was to look for a place that would be advantageous where I could put up a hand to hand fight. I momentarily considered stepping back into the doorway of the boutique and drawing a line of flame across the doorstep as a magical deterrent but realized that would at best be effective only against the ground based rats and then only for the limited duration of my spell. The bats would fly right over it and certainly destroy my concentration after that. And then of course there was the chance to inadvertently burn down yet another of the businesses on this block which would not be good for the city in general. I mean I had already covered that part of Harry's normal mode of operations there was no reason to overdo it a second time.

A better option would have been a large magical circle to keep all of the creatures all at bay but I neither had the time to draw a large circle nor the materials at present to pull that one off either. I had not picked up any chalk like Harry always told me to carry around and I was of course now cursing myself for this oversight. Hey it's not like I had an 'emergency imitation of Harry' kit all ready to go or anything. As a famous archeologist once said 'I don't know, I'm making this up as I go along!'

Okay that left only tactical retreat to another location that would provide a better advantage for me. I know to those reading that this sounds a lot like I was planning to run away in panic. In fact I have a feeling that the shrieking cry of that I would have made when doing so would have only reinforced your false image of me that I was indeed fleeing in fear. In truth though your favorite apprentice wizard merely wanted to appear much the same as all the others who had fled the streets and this seemed the means most appropriate. Yeah that is my story and I am sticking to it. Thankfully for my pride other events took place that prevented that wise course of action from being followed.

As I prepared to make my tactical repositioning movement I heard what could only be a two thousand year old battle cry coming from the skies above which drew my eyes to a white winged avenger carrying a sword streaking out from the sky. Gard's target was some opponent who remained unseen from my vantage point but still a significant distance from me on one of the overlooking buildings and in the general direction from where the spells I had sensed originated from.

I released a little of the magic I had been husbanding for my next attack or magical defense. It was nothing required but instead something strictly based upon pure inspiration at the vision unfolding before me. With an explosion of triumph suddenly the entire block of buildings around me burst into the instantly familiar and battle inspiring echoes of Wagner's _Flight of the Valkyrie._ Yeah I know it was sort of a cheesy effect to cast in the middle of a life and death struggle but trust me at that moment it seemed incredibly appropriate and I'm certain Ms. Gard appreciated it.

In response to the combination of the Valkyrie's berserker charge and my own daunting musical accompaniment the dominating and frenzy spells that were enraging the surviving rats and bats were suddenly shut off. They did not fade out gracefully like a normal spell did once it had reached its maximum endurance or even when turned off by its caster but rather seemed to flick off like a light switch.

At the point toward where Ms. Gard was descending I saw a glow of familiar purple light and knew whoever had been standing upon that roof had just created a portal and crossed over into the Nevernever. The Valkyrie did not even slow at this and before the light had fully faded out she dove like a hawk through the gate just before it snapped shut.

On the street the remains of the vermin army now without its commanding general paused in their charge and then reverted to their baser instincts of flight before fight and fled back to the waiting sewer grates or up into the nighttime skies. The thousands of dead and wounded of their kinds that they left behind littered upon the street would no doubt be chalked up by the newspaper accounts as hidden residents of the sporting goods store that had fled the fire and died because of the smoke.

As a wizard apprentice I still found it entertaining the lengths that normal human beings would go to in order to explain the results of magic in ways that not only defied what they actually saw but still allowed them to remain comfortably oblivious to the real world. This was an intellectual defensive measure that only seemed to increase with higher levels of civilization. Tribal cultures in the Pacific, Africa, and South America had no problems admitting things were magic, but to the average citizen of New York, Los Angeles, or even Chicago to do so was to open yourself up to scorn and ridicule and no one like to do that.

Will and Tera trotted over to me first before any of the others, even the first responders, had the courage to try and return to the scene. Instead of going back into to the perfumery store we went instead into the neighboring alleyway where the two transformed back into purely human form. Will had the foresight and picked up his sweats along the way carrying them gently in his teeth and he dressed quickly. Tera had overlooked this action or purposely failed to do so and appeared indifferent to the fact that she was naked until Will handed her his oversized sweatshirt that hung like a huge dress on her muscle cut and much smaller frame.

"I take it that the attack by the rats and the bats was the result of some kind of spell?" Will asked looking for clarity in his own mind. While he might accept magic, he was just as human prone to want things explained in terms that he could understand as those not gifted with the ability to transform themselves into a worl.

"Yes there was a woman behind that attack and according to Ms. Gard she had waited until I cast my own spell as a sign to set hers off." I told him what I had explained to me. "I could sense her magic controlling the creatures and bringing them forth in swarms to attack us. I cannot even imagine how strong she could be to pull that many creatures from wherever they were living and bring them here to the city."

"Such actions do not surprise me for this place is a swamp!" Tera said matter-of-factly about our city while looking around at neither of the two of us in particular.

"Hey, it's not that bad a neighborhood." Will defended against the claim since he lived fairly close by. Truth be told it was a better part of town even if it did cater mostly to the college generation.

"No you misunderstand my statement. I mean to say this city was built upon an ancient swamp." Tera corrected herself. "I can smell the original earth beneath our feet here is saturated with the ancient scent of primal life and death of such a place. Your kind has further used this dirt and sand in the construction of your buildings and roads. A subtle tang of still waters, moss, and death are a part of everything for your builders used the swamp's essence in creating these places of stone that surround us."

I knew she was correct; Chicago had indeed been built up over time on the boggy ground that sat beside the lower part of Lake Michigan. It was for this reason that the city itself was slowly sinking into the earth over the centuries in had existed here. As taller and heavier buildings went up, these structures sank even faster into the moisture permeated ground. There were entire underground tunnels and century old roadways that made up the Undertown that served as a hidden tribute to the truth of Tera West's words. And if anyplace could easily hold the army of rats and bats that had boiled forth and attacked us it would be Undertown.

"Okay I am willing to accept that is true." Will responded before following up with another question. "Still what does being built upon a swamp have to do with what happened just now?"

"The rats and bats are both native creatures to this swampy environment for it provides them the types of food in such quantities to support such numbers; and that was even before your kind began to build their tents here." Tera said with such feeling that I sensed her intrinsic and instinctual level attachment to the natural world around us. "Your spell caster did not need to go far afield to find such creatures. I would be surprised if she needed more than one of your city blocks in fact to rally such an army. Anyone with such power to call upon these forces would be able to do so again."

"Dracula!" Will said snapping his fingers before looking right at me as if to read his mind. Maybe he and Harry shared this shared thought thing but it took me a second to get at what he was thinking of. Thankfully Tera filled that pause first.

"Who is this Dracula?" Tera asked in confusion showing that although she could take human form, she did not have knowledge of all the general nuances that a true human being would have acquired by the time she reached that stage of her life.

"He was an ancient Black Court vampire." I explained. "He killed the love of an author called Bram Stoker. Mr. Stoker was unable to face the vampire directly and defeat his so instead he researched and published a book about his kind. Because this book described an evil origin as enemies of God for these creatures and the author made a detailed accounting of their powers and especially their weaknesses, the members of the Black Court have been hunted down and nearly exterminated over the past century not only by wizards but by mere mortals as well." And mortals had been so successful that now a century later when more civilized they believed these stories had been nothing more than folklore. Like I said it is interesting how far people will go to deny the truth that makes them uncomfortable.

"Yes but Bram Stoker recorded that Black Court vampires had the ability to summon bats and rats to serve them as well." Will said and I had to admit that he did indeed have a point. I noted that he skipped over the part that Dracula had done the same for wolves. I guess racial sensitivities probably exists at all levels of the animal kingdom to one extent or another.

"That seems an interesting coincidence. Are there any of these Black Court vampires in Chicago?" Tera West asked me knowing Harry Dresden was the resident expert on such matters.

"Like I said they are incredibly rare…" I started to point out just to be cautious. I did not want to make a false assumption especially where Black Court vampires were concerned. Harry and I had faced a relatively young one at the mall who had three fledglings with her and even then the fight had been a close one.

"Meaning those that have survived to this day are the very strongest and deadliest of their kind, right?" He asked me rhetorically, knowing the answer to that question was actually common for most reasoning species closest to extinction. "The question we really need answered is are there any _female_ Black Court vampires here in the city of Chicago that may have a grudge against you Harry?"

"I do not mean to interrupt in your conversation." Margaret Dresden spoke within my head. "However, you should be aware my dear that Harry was hiding certain aspects of his encounters with a Black Court vampire from you." In my mind's eye I observed a series of images that included just such a being's henchmen attacking Harry, Thomas, and Lara in a parking lot, Kinkaid, Murphy and Harry taking down a Black Court safe house, and finally a personification of female evil in Black Court form standing beside a tombstone that had Harry's name on it. If these did not provide pretty clear cut evidence that the vampire in question wanted Harry dead then I am not sure what else I would be able to assume.

Based upon these images and the information Harry had provided to me I did know that this being also resided here in the city. Harry had opposed her plans twice and done battle with her or her forces each time, thinking he had succeeded in killing her once only to find out to his disappointment that he had actually failed. She had used that failure to manipulate Harry into serving her interests by threatening Murphy's career. But even though that business arrangement had not ended in violence, she had a good reason to want to see Harry dead from their previous dealings; and that was even before the story got out that Harry Dresden had nearly single handedly killed off the entire Red Court to include their nearly god-like rulers.

That little bit of news might have made the Black Court extremely wary of Harry and the White Council since how he had destroyed them all remained relatively vague in the telling except it had involved powerful magic. Because the Blacks, what few there were of them, had aligned with the Red Court cousins against the wizards they had to assume they were also targeted for complete annihilation as well. That made sense to both Margaret and myself. Now their strongest allies were completely destroyed the White Council who were likely to want to finish off this lesser group of enemies as well. And obviously they had the means through magic to do just that; or at least a certain Chicago wizard had such means.

Maybe, just maybe, instead of cowering in their holes and awaiting the fall of their kind one of the more ruthless might choose to strike at Harry as a means of showing that while small in number, the Black Court still demanded respect as an enemy and should not be trifled with. It might be the perfect act to make those on the White Council like Wizard Cristos willing to listen to terms for a peaceful settlement.

And then of course there was that note Stallings had recovered written in Latin, meaning likely from a race of near immortals, that spoke all about blood. It was circumstantial I know, but in this case it was also the best lead I had that fit all the evidence. And with this invasion of rats and bats I had to admit that this certainly made for an even more likely option now than when I had asked Lara Raith to begin beating the bushes looking for vampires in the city just a few hours ago.

"Yeah there is one." I admitted turning to look at Will who had already known that answer from our discussions while playing the game Arcanos. He even knew that she was a wizard of such skill as to garner Harry's respect, which is relatively rare. And being a wizard explained the little things like making a portal for slipping into the Nevernever that I had observed and sensed just minutes ago as well. It was not a certainty, but certainly all fingers were pointing right at…

"Marva." I said aloud turning to look straight at Will. "You want to help?" I asked seeing him nod in response. "See if you pick up anything about Marva or her agents operating here in the city." He agreed for once without raising any additional questions. Unfortunately those still came from another not totally unexpected quarter.

"Be careful child." Margaret Dresden's shade cautioned. "Marva represents and evil that has Harry's respect. While your magical skills are improving daily I am not sure you are capable of facing off against a foe such as her just yet.

"Neither am I." I admitted internally to myself. "But Harry is not here so I have to try."

I arrived back at the hospital still before dawn and with the help of a veil I made it into my room without anyone the wiser. All three wards I had placed upon the door were still functioning correctly so I knew no one had disturbed my room in my absence. I quickly put my Harry disguise away and got situated back in bed with my leg in the sling looking like I had not gone anywhere. And with a little luck I might just get enough sleep to feel human once more. I realized that I definitely needed the time to rest and let my leg heal up as it was now throbbing quite constantly at the physical stress that I had placed upon it.

I fell almost immediately into a deep and intense sleep. One of the bittersweet advantages to being a wizard is that you usually learn to fall asleep quickly, especially after expending magic. This allows a wizard to recover their magical strength faster than if you had merely been resting without actually sleeping.

The downside to this of course is that you learn this skill mainly as a survival technique because the bad guys who are often trying their best to kill you, your friends, or just the entire city around you, have no mercy and allow no timeouts on the field for a tired wizard, or even an exhausted wizard apprentice to catch a quick forty winks. It is sadly funny but I am actually getting to the point that when confronted between going out for a night of clubbing with friends or staying home to catch up on my sleep I find myself wanting more and more to lean toward the latter of those choices. I think this development however is totally unfair and perhaps justifies a reason for better bargaining by my local wizard union to improve my working environment. I say power to the common wizard apprentices everywhere!

No sooner had I closed my eyes and sleep taken me than I found myself in a dream that was just a little too real to be completely natural. Wizards of course have dreams just like the average person does. I can't begin to tell you how many times I had the dream of being naked in high school, incredibly awkward when you recall that I went to a Catholic school, or the other common one of having to perform a public speaking speech before an entire audience. I had even merged those two in one of the most highly embarrassing conditions anyone's subconscious mind ever subjected them too though my speech at least went over well and received ovations.

But wizards also have dreams unlike other people. Sometimes they are prophetic and show you glimpses of things to come or more importantly those things to avoid. Sometimes they are glimpses of the distant past and events that the wizard may never have even heard of but that will likely soon play an important role in coming events in his or her life. Sometimes these dreams were even omens of situations happening currently, like the death of a loved one that the wizard is informed of through the spirit world's connection to dreams. None of these are particularly enjoyable situations to experience and I would give them up if I could, but like many other circumstances it was just a burden to bear for the power we are bestowed. Worst of all when I awoke I often did not know which of these situations, past, present or future, I had been allowed to observe through my dreams.

The prophetic ones were those that gave me the greatest level of concern, not so much that they gave me insight into my own future but rather because there was an implication to them that I refused to acknowledge. My youngest brother Little Harry, named after Harry Dresden, had demonstrated not so long ago that he had the ability for prophetic visions as well. The problem with this is most wizards do not come into their power, and therefore these side effects, until they reach puberty or later giving them at least a modicum of emotional and mental ability to deal with such things. Little Harry had only been in pre-school at the time his visions began.

Now so that you don't go all Exorcist on me, Little Harry's visions did not have him cursing in a foreign language and spitting pea soup across the room. Instead they entailed a brief moment where he rolled his eyes back in his head like someone in a seizure and when he awoke he would find an appropriate coloring book page that could represent what he had seen and use that to offer up the message imparted to him. I know that you likely view this with some skepticism but hey I had witnessed this and even worse, been the focus of these visions at times not that long ago. So that is why when I had one of these dreams I always took them seriously.

In the case of my current dream I found myself standing out in a desolate stretch of desert. It was not one like the Sahara filled with sand dunes and majestic pyramids rising up in the distance. I had the unexpected opportunity to see the Giza Plateau where these feature lay just days ago on our trip to Mexico by way of the Ways though the Nevernever that Harry knew about. I could say with certainty my dream was not the same place.

This desert was more akin to the American southwest including the rolling tumbleweeds but without any signs of the far from actually typical Saguaro cactus that most people who have never been there seem to think grow every ten feet or so. There were however, the far more common prickly pear cactus with their inch long spines in occasional patches around me and while this was only a dream I had no desire of reaching out and finding it the spines could really hurt me. Pain is one of those things that can transfer from a wizard's dreams to the real world under the right conditions.

The only sign of civilization that was visible to me was a paving stone road, no not a more common modern one made of tar or cement, but actual hand laid stones that rested beneath my feet and led forward into the twilight lit hills some miles before me. I had a cold feeling that the end of that path would not be a village singing munchkins nor the great emerald city of Oz. Unfortunately I also sensed that I had to follow this path if I were going to learn the reason behind this dream. But like Dorothy, maybe I did not have to travel all this way alone if I could call upon friends. I would have loved to have Mouse play Toto for me but I'd settle for what I could get.

"Margaret are you with me?" I asked seeing myself speak aloud in my dream which I guess in such a case is still only speaking inside my head. I'd ponder that some other time I guess when I had nothing better to do but think on such things.

"I am child." She replied in her same comforting voice but with an underlying sense of concern in her emotions. I guess it was also possible her voice in my dream might only have been a figment of the experience itself, like waking from a dream to find yourself still in a dream, but I was going to assume that she was here and could provide valuable council.

"That is wise child because focusing upon the other option leads toward madness." She explained. Thanks for that little bit of knowledge that I could have lived just fine without Ms. Freud.

"You are welcome Molly and there is no reason to get sassy." She teased me.

"Easy for you to say." I said realizing that thinking and speaking to a shade in a dream was pretty much the same. "I'm the one standing out here in the desert all alone."

"Well if that is your concern." She said and suddenly she was standing beside me, physically the way I had pictured her, but now she was sporting jeans and a leather coat instead of the white wizardly robes that I had originally pictured her wearing. She looked down at herself and nodded in begrudging acceptance. "Still not quite my image I would have chosen for myself mind you, but it will do for the present." She explained as she turned to look at the road as well.

"I guess we follow the road?" I asked looking for her advice since this was novel for me to have someone to ask in one of my dreams.

"I believe we will likely be forced to that eventuality but I suggest you take advantage of your natural gifts and sense what else may be around us before we take up that course." She offered. "You might learn all you need to without such a journey."

I had never actually tried using my magical powers in a dream, probably because some part of me understood on a base level that if I attempted casting a ball of flame in my dreams I was likely to do it in the real world as well. That would not be good for Harry's apartment or my parent's home. And you probably thought sleepwalkers had it bad! But I took a moment to consider her advice in this case and figured there could not be much danger if all I was doing was tuning in my magically enhanced senses and 'feeling' what, if anything, was taking place around me.

In my dream I started by relaxing and concentrating just like I would in the real world since that was natural to me and then I slowly began pushing my senses farther and farther from my body. Immediately I could feel the soft caress of a cool evening breeze blowing from the road ahead straight down toward me making me shiver ever so slightly as the gentle wind fluttered through my hair and over my bare arms. I sensed both shimmering magic and light a ways beyond the spot where the pathway led over the hills and knew the answers I desired would lead me in that direction.

Carried upon that wind I also caught the whiff of something strange that seemed completely out of place to me. If you have ever been to a rock concert then you know the source of that unique smell of burning rope that I am speaking of. If you are still in the dark about what I am referring to then good for you because it's not like I plan to elaborate any further on this and get a contributing to the delinquency charge added to my list of offenses.

Like I said the smell though was odd in that it was part of my dream and that I could smell it when I was standing in the middle of nowhere yet borne on the wind. But as this substance has been known to affect perception I guess such things were to be considered possible in the dream world. The problem was, however, that this scent in my dream seemed to have an equally relaxing effect upon my dream body and mental consciousness as it would if it were occurring in real life. I felt suddenly tired and my eyes began to grow heavy and dim as I thought about this.

"Molly wake up!" Margaret's voice called distantly to me as I felt her shake me back toward consciousness. When I responded with a noncommittal grunt she slapped me across the cheek causing fireworks to explode in my mind and pull me back to an almost state of unconscious consciousness. Yes I know a dozen psychologists who would pay large sums to experience this state so they could write a book about the experience.

"I fear the scent was laid there for you as a trap!" Margaret's voice reasoned and though I was having trouble focusing on her words, eventually the urgency in them kindled understanding within me. I hoped I still had some magic within me as I called to mind an idea and spoke the command word before it fluttered from my mind.

"Smelling salt!" I said and suddenly the hypnotic spell trying to entrap my mind was shattered by a scent that brought me fully into control of my senses once more. I breathed deeply, then coughed to purge my lungs before letting go of the spell I had cast. I had never tried placing a scent upon myself before but it appeared that this was magic I was capable of. That would have been helpful to know before Ms. Gard doused me with perfume.

"You could not have chosen something more pleasant to use as a counter smell such as lilac?" Margaret asked while holding a cloth she had produced from somewhere over her face.

"I needed to wake myself up and that is what came to mind." I said explaining my choice and fairly pleased with its results.

"Well I guess I should be glad you did not pick your brother Daniel's sweat socks." She said giving me a look of horror that told me her shade had suffered through that smell while I was doing laundry just as badly as I had. That cannot be part of the afterlife she had consciously signed on for when she left this small piece of her soul behind for us to find. No one should be forced to endure such a thing!

"That was a clever trap." Margaret said after I took accounting of myself and felt confident to continue.

"It certainly was." I agreed.

"And you know it was set for you Molly, not for Harry right?" She asked me to be sure.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because Harry is not a sensitive wizard." She replied. "He would not have sensed it nor likely been affected by it either. No this one had been solely targeted for you my dear."

"So I take it that someone is trying to kill me?" I asked not really pleased with the idea that they could use my own dreams to do so if that was truly their wish.

"Perhaps." Margaret said. "But I think it is more likely that this particular trap was in actuality more designed as a test. I think whoever your opponent is she is taking you measure." Margaret explained to me as she made this evaluation.

"Great!" I said sarcastically. "I must have really impressed her by almost falling for it."

"Or she has now seen how agile you mind is and that you were not actually caught by so subtle a trap." She countered. "Do not degrade yourself for you still stand here on the field of battle and remain undefeated." You know that really was NOT a good pep talk though I tried to smile and thank her all the same for her attempt at words of encouragement.

"I sense light and the source of the magic down this path." I said telling Margaret what my own body was reporting to me and pointing to the flagstones that beckoned to our feet. "We might as well get on with it so we can get it over with."

"You are truly going to face the dragon in its den?" She asked me metaphorically making me think of Bilbo Baggins.

"Hey it's in the blood. I've been told my dad killed a dragon once in its home." I replied with a laugh that was all bravado.

"Really?" She said with her eyes widening. "How did he manage to do that?" Margaret asked as she walked beside me as we began to follow the path laid out for us.

"I'm not really sure beyond of course knowing he used his sword and rescued my mother at the same time." I replied. "He always said that was a story he would only talk to me about when I was older and able to fully understand it. Now that I have a few adventures like that of my own to share maybe I will ask him the next chance I get." That was providing of course that someone did not kill me first. Margaret accepted the answer and we followed the stone worked path over the distant hills and from atop this vantage point we stared down upon a sight which had no business being in a western United States desert motif.

It was a palace. Not a castle in the western sense of the word or anything remotely resembling a structure built by Walt Disney. Instead it was more akin to the Taj Mahal in India but enhanced with the spiral minarets of a Persian palace as well as the onion shaped domes of the court of the Russian Czars. And strangest of all the central tower appeared more akin to a Roman Catholic church even with a great bell that currently stood in silent testimony. Even with all these features the structure seemed small at first, due completely to its distance from us, but I knew up close the palace would be enormous to behold!

But while the great building itself was a marvel to beauty and contrasting design, the lands around it that had once been fertile and overflowing with statuary and gardens full of life was now withered or dead and all were scarred with the signs of great battle. I followed the course of the path I stood upon with my eyes and it marched forward unerringly directly toward the single gate of this structure, offering no off shoots or options to turn away provided by its track. It was obvious that there was but one course for me to follow and I did so without a word of complaint.

Margaret and I trudged forward in silence as we took in the sight before us. "Is this any place with which you are familiar?" I asked Harry's mother because she had mapped out more places than anyone since Marco Polo if the stories I heard about her were true. It was one of the many things I admired about the woman who had died before I was born.

"It is beyond my experience." She said simply looking at wonder to the building that was even bigger up close than we had both imagined. As if in response to our words the bell in the great central tower began to toll nearly in time with our footsteps.

"Ask not for who…" Margaret began.

"Don't." I said with a stern look. "I am not one who goes looking for extra trouble and that particular literary phrase is hardly one of inspiration." Why someone had chosen to create such a forbidding saying was absolutely beyond me.

"You are of course correct my dear." Margaret said with a look of contrition. "I have this bad tendency of repeating such well referenced things when faced with the unknown."

"Yeah Harry is like that too but her falls back on Star Wars lines." I laughed and she joined in as well.

We made it to the door and found there was a cloaked woman waiting for us there holding aloft an old fashion lantern with a candle inside. I stayed a few steps away knowing that the ultimate enemy I faced was going to be a woman and since this one was cloaked and hooded in such a way so I could not make out her features she was not someone I was immediately going to trust. Margaret seemed to second my assessment and stayed at my side as well as we decided our next course of action.

"Alright is this supposed to be Heaven or Hell?" I asked the woman when she did not acknowledge our presence with a greeting or any other sound that I could hear above the bell's tolling.

"You stand before the visitors' palace of Al' Forn the former ruler of this land." The woman's voice spoke to us from out of the hood. She made no hostile move and though I searched my memory I could not confirm or deny this was the same voice that I had heard spoken toward me when the sorceress redirected her bat and rat minions in my direction.

"He was the great Caliph of this desert and was slain by an invader and a thief." She continued as if this were a history lesson. I of course tried best to record all this as that was often necessary for wizard dreams of this sort. I hoped Margaret caught anything I missed. "The battle between our lord and the thief left this wake of destruction that you see all around you." Her words grew silent as she bid us to ponder upon the desolation and wanton devastation that surrounded us.

"Who are you and what is your purpose here?" I asked finding my voice to challenge.

"You may call be Ia." She said. "For I serve her _in abstentia_ for my lord." She replied telling me that she was the caretaker of this place. I did not miss that the words she used were Latin in their origin. Thank you for those learn Latin at home books Harry had given me.

"Surely he has heirs to take up this palace." Margaret said. "Royalty does not usually wither upon the vine."

"In his entire existence only that single lone thief had the foolishness to seek to take what belonged rightfully to the Caliph." She said with a sense of hatred evident in her words. "But justice for events might one day be done." I prepared for an attack based upon these ominous words, but the woman did nothing offensive, nor did I sense her drawing magic to herself. I was ready for a fight but she showed no signs of offering one.

"Come, you shall find rest for the night." She said at last lifting up the lantern candle and walking into the palace as if she expected us to follow. I looked to Margaret and shrugged in her direction finding she had not answers for me either.

Finally as I took my first step inside I heard distant voice… a voice calling my name…


	9. Chapter 9

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 9_**

"Harry Dresden is dead…"

You know I am getting real tired of hearing those words every time I turn around and it is certainly not the best words to be awoken from a dream with, even if the dream is a rather odd one that makes no sense in the light of day, which it was. I mean the way people are talking about this you would think that Harry's obituary, when it is actually ever written, will need to be a full page announcement just to ensure everyone who seems to have an unusual level of interest in him are appropriately informed. Maybe it was time to let loose a little of my wrath of annoyance on this subject as I turned my still awakening head toward the speaker beside me.

"…or that is at least the unofficial word that had made its way to me." The cold voice said nearly meeting my enraged eyes as I opened them to look upon the current singular member of my audience who had sat here for who knows how long watching me sleep. At first glance he, for his wide shoulders were definitely male, was dressed all in a dark black robe and cloak, looking much the same as the woman from my dream. But when he pulled back his hood to reveal his countenance I saw the face of Rashid, the White Council's ruling senior council member also known as 'The Gatekeeper.' Prudence quickly won out over rage and I decided that maybe my annoyance might stew a while longer before coming out for a visit.

Rashid was probably the most mysterious member of the Senior Council in that he was not a consistent member for either of the major voting blocks of power and politics that held sway over the other wizards of my order. He kept his own council on most things and Harry told me that he suspected The Gatekeeper's votes on events and for or against people reflected what Harry believed to be hidden knowledge that only the one in Rashid's position had access to. If our speculations about that position were indeed true than those sources that could be some truly intimidating reference points if these assumptions were true. Harry had never been overly specific about the roles and responsibilities that The Gatekeeper carried on his shoulders, most likely because he was probably not completely sure himself, but in a few of our discussions on the politics of the Senior Council we had pieced together what we thought were reasonable assumptions.

The first such theory was based solely upon the rather odd title of his office and its general association to other aspects of White Council business. The first thing that an apprentice must be taught is of course the Laws of Magic to keep them from violating these through their ignorance; yes it really should be something they publish! The last of these laws relates that the most dangerous beings within our existence and experience are the ones who exist beyond the Outer Gates.

Before mankind was a thought, these were powerful beings that some of our cultures later encountered and considered as gods or demons. To hear Harry explain it they are beings so terrible in their power that stories of the description of them would have haunted H. P. Lovecraft beyond the point of pure madness. It is therefore strictly forbidden that wizards of the White Council to seek out such beings because of the threat that they posed. Thankfully it was a gray area of law if these beings sought a wizard out because I believe I had met one who had called himself Barter a couple years ago who had me track down a watch he had made about seventy years ago. The power this watch contained, which Barter had thought of as a mere bauble could have created a rather evil demigod had some bad guys got their way. This was the kind of power the _Outsiders_ wielded. It is for the very reason of the danger such beings posed to everyone that Harry and I both assumed that the office of The Gatekeeper was charged with being Earth's ambassador to these beings and in doing so keeping track of their involvement on Earth.

Having a single wizard position designated secretly with authority to violate one of the Laws of Magic was hardly without precedent. For example Harry's tutor Wizard McCoy held the office of 'The Blackstaff;' so titled because he was the one wizard selected by the White Council who was authorized to violate the First Law of Magic that forbid the killing of mortal beings with spells. A week ago I had seen Wizard McCoy snuff the life from perhaps a hundred or more mercenaries with one spell showing that he could and would violate the First Law without a second thought.

Rashid, both in my few encounters with him and from Harry's stories seemed to have access to information beyond the norm for even a member of the Senior Council of Wizards. Accordingly he also appeared to be one of the few whose counsel The Merlin actually entertained, if not sought out, when faced with a serious crisis. The beings that existed beyond the Outer Gates would certainly be a likely source for such information and explain how The Gatekeeper knew such things of importance.

Personally I also thought that Rashid was responsible for countering the effects of The Necronomicon. That ancient spell book for summoning dark powers from the Nevernever, and in the later cases things beyond the Outer Gates, was one of the few of the White Council's failures in that the wizards had been unable to prevent its original release to the public and then even though they tried the Senior Council had never able to put that genie back in the bottle after it had gotten out. By the beginning of the twentieth century they stopped trying and decided the best way to counter the evil capabilities that this book provided instruction on was to release it into mass production instead. The theory was that these beings could only answer one summons at a time so if you had a few thousand mortals calling it would dilute the book's impact. More importantly such beings got annoyed if 'the phone rang constantly' and were more likely to kill the caller in order to get some rest than actually grant their request.

It was a deadly yet efficient way for the White Council to both limit damage and punish those who were foolish enough to mess with things they had no understanding of. Of course this still required someone to come behind and clean up the mess. Since the book had originated in the desert lands, its secrets revealed by nomads of the desert wastes, it seemed likely to me that one of their own would take it upon themselves as a source of honor, which was important to these tribes, to ensure that the problems created by this book were kept to a minimum. Once again this would almost assuredly put Rashid into contact with beings beyond the Outer Gates.

So for a variety of reasons it made sense for a perky wizard apprentice not to piss off The Gatekeeper. I turned on a little of my charm, let my eyes begin to grow glassy with tears before I finally responded to the statement that he had made about Harry's death. He obviously came here to either tell me something or have his own question answered so we might as well get to the point as quick as possible.

"Yes I have heard the same thing from just about everyone who has come to visit me here in the hospital." I said honestly because there was something about Rashid's mannerisms that made me suspect that he could sense outright deception when presented with it. I made sure therefore to keep my answers completely truthful in word and thereby lie only through omission of what I chose not to talk about. I was not sure this would work, but it was better than admitting to the deception I was performing.

He smiled at me, neither in a predatory way nor as one offered to be particularly comforting. He sat in silence for nearly half a minute pondering over my words or more likely testing me to see if I would break under his stare. Based on what I was facing, what I saw as a rather sudden and violent death on the edge of a Warden's sword, I found no problem self motivating enough to match his quiet contemplation.

"I share your sense of sadness. I found your master to be a rarity among the White Council and fear few of our number will understand the loss his death, if it proves to be true, means for us all." He said at last. "But as I said this is only if the rumors that I have heard are true. Perhaps you will find the White Council's news and speculations from this morning of interest to you." He spoke seeing if I would jump at the offer. I waited in silence though without tipping my hand on my eagerness to know what the Council was talking of now. Captain Luccio had likely made her report and whatever it said would have direct implications on my health.

When I said nothing for a time and showed no signs of planning to Rashid continued on. "It appears that Harry Dresden, or else someone very much like him, was involved in a magical battle of some type last night near one of the local college campus here in this city." The Gatekeeper said without any hint from him that he suspected me of being behind these events. "In his almost signature trademark of his fighting style or results, it appears that one of the buildings even exploded and burned to the ground at the site of this battle causing people to flee."

"Yeah I saw something about a fire in that part of town on the news last night when I was going to bed." I said again totally honest within the parameters of those words.

"I am sure you did." He said just a little too confidently to make me feel comfortable. Rashid smiled at me almost the way my mother did when I was very small, covered in chocolate pretzel crumbs, a treat I have a special affinity for, and listened to me explain I had no idea what happened to these goodies that she loved as well.

"The Merlin dispatched a team to check into these events and confirm their source if possible. I decided to investigate it for myself before the Wardens inadvertently mucked up the scene." Even though Rashid's features were that of a Middle Easterner, he spoke English with a precise British accent that hinted that some of his formative years had taken places when this area were colonies of the British crown. "I am glad I did for I sensed the lingering presences of strange and powerful magic, something I am sure that the young ones among the Wardens likely have no experience with and so will miss completely in their investigations."

"Strange magic?" I asked hesitantly wondering if The Gatekeeper could truly tell sensitive magic spells from the more common combat types and sources that Harry would have used if he had been there. If that were true then this revelation would be like finding my fingerprints on a smoking gun and my denials would be that less plausible. Perhaps that is why he was pausing to see what denials or admissions I was willing to make.

"Strange indeed." He replied nodding his head and letting us go back to a moment of silence.

"How many sources for magical power has your master described to you Apprentice Carpenter?" He asked me before the tension between us got too much. Since he identified me as an apprentice that meant by law I was expected to answer any questions like this thoroughly and honestly since I was only free from the Doom of Damocles because Harry promised to teach me magic. If it was proven I was learning nothing than the bargain made to save me from this particular fate would be null and void, as would both of our lives be soon thereafter.

"I know of combat magic and sensitive magic of course." I said as a starting point trying to think of what other forms of magic existed before Rashid raised a hand to interrupt me.

"You are speaking not of 'sources' but of strengths." He corrected. "Both of those draw upon magic from the world around us and while they have differences in what they create, or in the fairly standard case of your Master Harry – destroy, their source is still the same."

"I am sorry sir, I was obviously not listening closely." I said with a bit of contrition to his explanation. Hey it made no sense to piss him off and admitting a small mistake like this might demonstrate I had the ability to accept others' judgments rather than act like the warlock many wanted to believe me to be. Hey it's not like I play politics all the time, but it does not mean I am oblivious to the concept either!

"There is the magic of the natural world as you stated." I said having an idea of what he was speaking of now but not really ever having been taught this. Thankfully my recent life experiences provided more insight. "I believe that this is the same as the magic created in the Faerie Realms such as the Nevernever as well." I said with a hint of a question that I was on the right track and Rashid nodded to tell me to proceed.

"Then there is faith magic." I said thinking of an old Jewish rabbi without a lick of what the White Council would consider magical talent but who had still raised half a dozen golems to serve him and strike justice. I was uncertain if this was the correct official term for this type of power and I guess my eyes betrayed that to my questioner.

"That is as good a term for the power source that you speak of as any I have ever heard." Rashid agreed. "Please continue apprentice." He said calmly.

I thought on this creative power of faith and then turned to the negative side. "Then there is Hellfire." I said having seen some of the mortal bodies of the Order of the Denarians wield that particular type of power since the Fallen who possessed them had access to this source as a evil twin to faith magic. I guess it made sense that the dark side would have its own sources which led me to a bit of speculation.

"I believe that since our magic comes from the natural world of life that necromancy would be considered its opposite?" I asked The Gatekeeper for confirmation if he considered this a separate form or some part of natural magic as well.

"In some cases it can be looked at that way though the true answer is a bit more complicated than that. Some necromancers use natural magic as a source to do unnatural things. However, there are some individuals that mortals like to call mediums, when they are not con artists that is, who do tap into what we can call necromantic sources in order to communicate with the dead." He replied. "However, for the sake of this conversation the let's accept it and you can continue."

The name Mortimer Lindquist popped into my mind as one of these individuals though I had never heard the name before. I had a feeling that Margaret placed it there subtly without saying anything because she did not want to chance The Gatekeeper sensing her presence. All things considered I figured that was a good idea as well.

I wish he had accepted my answers to this point as sufficient as I was running out of ideas. There was only one other source I could think of and I called this one off before thinking too much about it. "I believe there is chi magic, something that originates from the soul?" I asked.

"Yes, some Eastern cultures say it is part of faith magic but personally I disagree." He explained. "Most times faith magic is bestowed upon a person from a higher being in exchange for their belief in this power's divinity. The mortal therefore is merely the conduit. Mana or chi magic as you refer to it is all internal and requires no outside source, or at least that is what I have been told." He said with that same disturbing knowing smile that was impossible to me to comprehend.

I bit my lip as I thought and the silent pause between us lasted nearly five seconds before I made up my mind to end it. "I am sorry if I am a poor student Gatekeeper but that is all I have learned of so far in my studies and my discussions with my master."

"On the contrary Ms. Carpenter, you demonstrated quite well that you have indeed been studying diligently." He said. "In fact you answered better than most wizards with five decades more experience. If I am ever forced to testify on this fact I will do so without a moment's hesitation that all I say about you is true. I must praise Wizard Dresden the next time I see him for the depth of training and experience he had provided for you in such a short period of time." He said again and this time I knew he was purposely testing me with such a bold challenge to argue.

"I hope you find the opportunity to do so soon sir." I said again in total honesty as I would love Rashid to have the opportunity to speak with Harry because that would mean he was still alive.

"I do as well apprentice." He said softly, almost a whisper, showing me in the process just a glimpse of the true emotion of the respect that he held for Harry.

"Let us get back to the discussion of the fire from last night." He said resuming his more direct nature. "Would it surprise you to learn that none of those magical sources that you so aptly named was the magical source type used to burn that building to the ground?" He asked me and seemed pleased by the instantly confused look upon my face that was yet again totally honest. I guess it is little things like torturing apprentices that Senior Council wizards do for fun between ongoing wars with vampires and so forth.

"Then what was it?" I asked as this might help answer who was behind this attack and in so doing perhaps the assassination attempt, I refused to believe it was successful yet, of Harry Dresden.

"One such source that you did not name is that of innate magic." The Gatekeeper explained. I was confused by this of course because it was not a subject I had yet to encounter. It's naming however provided no gleams of insight as to what he was referring.

"Innate magic?" I asked for further clarification.

"Indeed." He said again. "It is the magic that some beings possess based upon their very nature. It is both a part of them such as blood and our DNA is a part of us, and like DNA it is completely unique to them even were they to procreate." He tried to explain but this still left me confused on the nuance differences from what I had identified.

"I do not understand sir." I said. "Are you speaking of beings like the Sidhe Courts? Certainly they are magical based upon their very nature and position in the Courts that they hold."

"No, they were rightly beings of the natural world of magic like you earlier named them." He corrected. "The difference between the Sidhe and what I speak of is that the power of one of the members of the Faerie Courts can transfer upon the death of its wielder to another being as happened most recently when your master Harry slew Lady Aurora of the Summer Court and Lily assumed her power and role. I have heard that another more recent event like that was almost accomplished to the detriment of all had it not been for the timely intervention of a group of unlikely heroes." He looked at me in such a way as to say my involvement in those events were not unknown to him even though I had told no one about what really happened. As I am fairly sure none of the others in that group were reporting to The Gatekeeper, this seemed even more proof to me that he had rather well informed magical sources to draw upon. But while he left that hanging out there I chose not to admit or deny it and his slightly widening smile seemed to indicate that was the best choice.

"No what I am speaking of are parallel sources to those you already know." The Gatekeeper continued. "And their existence is tied to their particular aspect, for lack of a better word in English. The death of that being means a significant change of that aspect."

"I'm sorry sir but I still do not understand." I said honestly and now wondering what the heck this conversation was truly about. I had to be cautious because if I let Rashid draw me in with his story I was likely to slip up and say the wrong thing at the wrong time which I had the sinking suspicion was the true game he was playing.

"Let me focus on the Chinese understanding of this and perhaps one day we can speak of the Greek version which is different but equally valid." He continued with his instruction. "The Chinese believed in the creation of this existence the world was populated or infused with spirits who took upon themselves all the major aspects of our world. Each river, ocean, mountain range, or any major feature had its own being who reigned over it. And early Chinese scholars upon learning of this found means to communicate with these beings and learn from them and in so doing some of our earliest wizards were born through these encounters."

"Okay so you are saying these are the beings who first taught magic to man? They are sort of the wizardly version of Prometheus?" I reasoned trying not to say anything more than I had to.

"That is an apt comparison only in a very general sense. Bear with me please for I have not had to discuss this subject in more than two decades and find it ironic to be doings so under these current conditions." He said mysteriously to me about some hidden inside knowledge no doubt before going back to the subject at hand.

"While these innate magical beings were powerful and could cause much suffering, early wizards learned that they were not immortal, so that meant they could be appeased or if the situation required it they could be killed. To accomplish the later usually required a smart and manipulative wizard to use the power of another rival being against the one they sought to destroy. For example, if the wizard instilled and earth being's magic into a dam on a river, the river spirit that lived in that body of water could be weakened or even killed by this act."

"That is horrible!" I said thinking of this. I mean these beings had obvious created some form of harmony among themselves only to have mortal human wizards upset that balance? That was not a heritage I found I wanted to be part of.

"Ah I see you're your knowledge of history has been tainted by the generous and false beliefs that nature exists in a benevolent rather than a violent state. That my dear, no matter how beautiful the stories may seem, is as much modern fantasy as stories of the world being flat were a millennia ago." His words carried with them a sense of certainty and almost amusement that I would proscribe to such beliefs.

"Ask yourself if a river spirit enjoyed flooding its banks in order to kill villagers who did not pay it tribute fits this munificent image you cast them into." Rashid replied. "Or perhaps instead of flooding the withhold their waters to a trickle therefore causing a drought that led to starvation of the population as well. Oftentimes these spirits liked to cause suffering merely because were capable of such acts as happened I believe in the city of Pompeii." He said bringing images of plaster of paris bodies screaming in their final moment of life as hot ash consumed them.

"As spiritual leaders of their tribes and villages it was the mission of these early wizards to deal with these spirits or find the means to prevent them from doing harm in the future." Rashid explained. "It should not be surprising that killing such beings eventually became the best answer for ones who were otherwise unwilling to turn from destruction."

"And so I am to believe that one of these ancient beings of nature is now terrorizing Chicago and for some strange reason burning down sporting goods stores?" I asked confused and highly skeptical. I mean sure I had seen a lot of weird things in my short time of being Harry's apprentice but vengeance against and outlet for basketballs and stretchy pants seemed too far off the track for me to accept.

"I admit my ignorance in what the motivation of such a creature may be, but I am certain that the magic source for last night's fire came from such a being." He said to me with a leveled gaze that almost dared me to challenge him on this point. Obviously this is what he had come here to impart, but I still did not know what his motivations to do so were. The Gatekeeper was not one for idle gossip.

"Okay, I accept what you say is true." I said though we both could tell my underlying skepticism was actually not about to give up without a pretty good internal fight that I would save for later. But for now I would put it to the side and focus on this secondary issue which he could provide some explanation for if he were willing to do so.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked trying to turn the conversation back around and then pointed at my leg still in the sling for emphasis. "I'm assuming you are not expecting me to do something about all of this from my hospital bed are you?"

"I provide you this merely because I find the coincidence of a confluence between your presence in this city and such a being is too odd not to actually be related." He said holding his cards close to his chest but smiling all the same like he knew one of my secrets. In this particular case though, it was obviously one that I myself did not know.

"Um…huh?" I grunted.

He looked at me with obvious confusion in his own eyes before something dawned in his mind. "You do not know?" He said looking to me which I could only respond with more of my same mystification. "Ah that certainly places things into a new light entirely and complicates what wisdom I am allowed to impart."

"Wait, what do I need to know?" I asked rising up out of my bed enough to make my leg throb and my face wince in obvious pain. It had not been my intention to add to my deception but it worked all the same.

"It appears many things, of which the most important are ones that I cannot impart." The Gatekeeper's words took on a tone of near resignation and disappointment. "As for what, if any, action you should take let me merely offer that sometimes it is the smallest and weakest among us, those who are often overlooked or disregarded as unnecessary or of no value that provide a priceless source of strength in the end. You master Harry certainly understood that and chose his allies with this thought in mind. It served him well and should be a lesson for you also. In my lands young Apprentice Molly Carpenter they say the smallest strawberry is often the one most sweet." He said placing a strange emphasis on that last word.

Before I could find words to question him even more The Gatekeeper stood up and once more flipped his hood up over his head hiding his face from my vision. "One last thing I offer you for knowledge Apprentice Carpenter." He said to me in the strange far off echoing way his voice carried when the hood was up over his head. "The White Council also learned that a certain hedge wizard named Binder that your master ran out of town is currently back in Chicago because he too has heard the rumors of a possible untimely death of its resident wizard; a story that neither of us want to believe is true. I hope for all our sakes that Harry finds this one soon and explains to him his error in judgment."

Did The Gatekeeper just offer me a mission as a means to provide more proof that Harry was still alive? I wanted to question Rashid on this point but at that moment a rattle of the door handle to my room drew my attention away for a split second and when it snapped back to the chair where my visitor had been sitting the dark cloaked figure was no longer visible in my sight. I sensed just a whiff of expended magic and knew he was gone on to whatever other responsibilities his office demanded of him.

And that was not a second too soon for my dad, Michael Carpenter, former Knight of the Sword and the rock upon which I leaned, walked into the room with a smile just for me. His timing was so good in fact coming on the heels of all of these events that I knew it could not be strictly a coincidence. I truly believed that God still told my dad where he needed to be to do the most good and right now that was with me.

I smiled back. "Hi daddy!" I said with a sense of relief. If anyone could offer me good advice it was him.

"I do not know what to say Molly…" My dad's face took on an unreadable and distant stare as he ran over all I had told him in the past hour. He was the first one, including Harry even, that I had shared the events of all of my previous adventures with. Okay I admit there was a small amount of creative editing in my description of some of the parts of these stories and especially some of my actions, but those mostly related to my feelings for Harry which I did not want to share. In truth I had the sinking suspicion that my father, and perhaps even my mother, had some inkling of how I felt but that did not mean I really wanted a long discussion on the subject at the moment.

What I had not compromised upon though was the truth of the events, especially as related to my own role, and the level of foes I had been forced to face down on my own, or in the most recent case in Mexico, with Harry and our other friends. I tried to not overplay the danger I faced because I figured it had to be hard for my dad who had been placed in the position in his role of a Knight of the Cross to do many similar things so he understood the danger without me making too much of it. I also was unsure how he would accept that he was forced not only to sit on the sidelines in the battles now even knowing that his own first born daughter was in the crosshairs.

"Dad I…" I tried to start to help relieve some of this burden that was now inadvertently dumped on his shoulders even though by my doing so it felt good to share this with someone who could truly understand what I had gone through. He held his hand up to stop me before I even began to confess to my current activities wearing a leather duster and a Stetson.

"I have told you I was proud of you many times before." He said looking fully at me and perhaps seeing for the first time not his little girl but instead his all grown up daughter. "But what you told me… the good that you have done for people you never knew… and at such a risk to yourself…" Each of those pauses for breath took five seconds or more but I held my peace as he tried to find the words he wanted to say. "You have in so few years done so much more than I accomplished in my entire career when I carried _Amoracchius_. I never wanted such a role for any of my children, what parent would, but now I can only say that you do your family proud."

"Dad, that is not…" I started to deny this comparison because I know of the good he had done on God's behest. I had stumbled into mind, half blind at what I was facing. He had chosen to do so knowing each time all he might lose were he to fail.

"No Molly, it is completely true." He said with a smile. "I am given neither to false bravado nor false modesty. Your actions have saved millions of lives and millions more souls. That I can claim to be your father may be the greatest of all my accomplishments." He said with a warm smile that chased away all the doubts in me at the moment. A daddy's unconditional love for his daughter is the greatest of all gifts!

But hey this did give me an opportunity for another discussion I had been dying to have and now seemed like the perfect time to do so. "Daddy." I said using my little girl voice that he could never deny. "Since I have told you my own adventures of late do you think it is time that you tell me the one about how you rescued mom from the dragon?" Yeah it was cheap to hit him when he was emotionally vulnerable but I doubted I would ever get a second chance as good as this one.

I could see he was about to reject this request out of hand because he had done so many times in the past when I, and likely some of my brothers and sisters as well, had asked for this story before. "You always said you would tell me when I had the experience to fully understand." I interrupted his building refusal with his own words. "Don't my shared stories sort of meet that particular requirement? If not exactly how high have you raised that particular bar for your daughter?" I said with a laugh.

He chuckled at this obvious trap then threw up his hands in mock resignation. "You most certainly have checked off that particular block Molly." He said as he settled back in his chair and stretched his formerly broken leg out to ensure the blood continued to flow and it did not cramp up on him. Those physical ailments were a left over result of the damage his body had sustained from wounds that should have in truth killed him had he been anyone else. So considering that alternative, none of us were willing to complain about this minor debilitation that he had already grown accustomed to.

"Alright then spill it pops! One battered old warrior to another." I ordered in a mocking laugh at myself pointing to my leg that was still in a sling. My challenge was all bluff and he knew it just as we both knew that even with his limp, there was little doubt in his mind which of the two of us was in the better and stronger position currently.

"In truth it is likely not so wondrous a story as your own." He said up front but my father is nothing if not modest. "It began of course like most of those events where I wielded _Amoracchius._ I was provided a vision from God himself that my arm and blade were needed in his service to protect those who called upon his help." I guess this made more sense and was more appropriate from a biblical sense than having a voice come over a speaker phone saying 'Good morning angels.'

"At the time there was a man named Gregor operating here in the city of Chicago." My father continued with his story and I decided not to let my mind get sidetracked too much with these odd random thoughts. "He was also a wizard." My dad said turned to look straight at me as if trying to state something beyond the words.

"You mean like Harry?" I asked rather than using myself as a reference for his story.

"Only in the fact he could cast spells." He replied. "Harry is a good man who puts himself into danger to save those around him. Gregor was one who sought power for himself and was willing to go against the rules established by the White Council if it would lead him to more power still." He explained to me with a look of disgust.

"We call those types of people who live outside the rules of the White Council warlocks dad." I explained in response. I made certain though not to mention that I was currently considered a warlock, well perhaps a warlock on probation, by the White Council also. And some I had no doubt would consider me one always.

"Well Warlock Gregor found an exceptionally evil means to increase his power." Michael Carpenter said to me. "He somehow crossed paths with an ancient being and the two formed a pact to infuse the young man with its own power, or offer him baubles that contained the same." Obvious distaste filled my father's words.

"But all such things come for with price." I added knowing how these types of arrangements usually work. They look good on the surface but they always fail in the end.

"It did in this case as well." My father nodded in confirmation. "In exchange for increasing the young man's power the being behind the scenes demanded sacrifices." He explained and I nodded. In both the magical as well as the world of religion such offerings are often common. The Bible speaks of these in many places and probably every story you have ever heard about wizards says the same things about us as well. Unfortunately, while not as widespread as the stories would have you believe, there were enough evil examples out there unfortunately to place such tales much closer to truth than to merely myth.

Most times the sacrifice itself was unimportant in form. Instead it was what the sacrifice represented to the giver that gave it power. Human sacrifices, events which showed there was no limit as to what the person offering was not willing to go, remained the pinnacle.

"It was the dragon?" I asked less than fully confident of the answer since I had heard of dragon sacrifices though never because of their ability to transfer magical power to a mortal. My dad merely nodded that I was correct before continuing on with his story.

"The beast's name was Siriothrax." My dad confirmed by providing me the name. "But I knew not that I was destined to face him. I knew only that I was to seek out Gregor and see his own evil ways stopped. Back then I only carried a sword and that is hardly the proper way to outfit oneself when facing down a dragon. I would not start wearing armor until after this encounter and when you mother began to make me wear it."

"I tracked down Gregor through small stories people told me, priests most often, of the waves of corruption and destruction the warlock caused upon gaining each new power in exchange for each new sacrifice. Despite these leads though he was not a foolish man however, and the best I was able to do was narrow my search to one specific part of the city where the evil seemed the greatest. I learned later that Siriothrax himself had taught Gregor to be smart by hiding his operations in places where they were unlikely to draw attention to him. Additional violence in places already prone to such rarely raise outside interest and in this case one of the gang controlled neighborhoods where the warlock was hiding."

Having spent a fair amount of time with Murphy I understood what my dad was saying. It was not a judgment on the people who were forced to live there as much as the way the rest of society viewed such areas. A missing person or a decapitated body in and upper class neighborhood was front page news probably for the week and likely would even draw national interest on a slow news day. Look at how the newspapers had talked about Jon Benet Ramsey. Yet the same events in one of the gang controlled parts of town were lucky to make it onto the back page of the local papers and only then in the Cubs were not on a winning or losing streak.

"Within that area though, even with the help of those of the Church, I had few clues to lead me to where Gregor and his former compatriot were hiding. Instead knowing he was a wizard I chose to start by checking out those stores that carried common magical components like candles and such and hoping someone might provide me the information I required." He explained and given his logic I probably would have done the same thing though I did have the advantage of being sensitive to magic and could have wandered the streets seeking such places a bit easier.

"You mean your visions were not specific enough to help you find him?" I asked somewhat shocked because I always thought my dad knew instinctively where to go when he was sent on a mission. I never realized that his second job forced him to be as much a private investigator in many ways as Harry was with his life.

"No, like I said Siriothrax was old and knowledgeable in how to avoid being so easily tracked and the great drake made sure to instill this caution in those it bargained with to prevent these mortal agents from leading someone like me back to its lair." He explained. I really wanted to ask if a dragon's lair is filled with treasure like in the Hobbit, or like Lord Kline had told me, but I figured now was not the right time. "You do not survive centuries or longer by making foolish mistakes."

"How did you find Gregor then?" I asked.

"Gregor had been a flawed vessel when he had first approached Siriothrax." My father explained. "While he certainly had magical talent and was willing to bargain with the dragon for more by sacrificing others, he also thought he could enhance his powers through illegal drugs like LSD that made him feel more domineering even if he was in truth not. Siriothrax had thought he had found a willing mortal agent eager to do anything for power, but what he actually got was an addict who lacked the proper self control and because of that there was a chink in the dragon's armor."

"I came across Gregor standing in the middle of the street throwing blasts of real magical fire at monsters that only existed in his mind." He said with a shake of his head. "Thankfully everyone nearby had fled from this display and the buildings around were mostly made of brick so property damage was relatively light."

"And you took him down." I said picturing my father striding up, challenging, and then defeating the drug crazed wizard in a battle of sword against fire magic.

"You make it sound much more heroic than it was." He laughed. "Gregor was so focused upon destroying a light pole that he was certain had been seeking to kill him that he ignored my challenge completely and one simple blow with the flat of my blade dropped him into unconsciousness." Wow that was almost the most anticlimactic battle between good and evil I had ever heard of, including ones that Harry told me. I really wish a few of the fights that I found myself in were so easily resolved.

"So what happened next?" I asked trying to move the story along to the part with the dragon.

"When I looked at Gregor I could see the ritual tattoos that covered his arms and knew these were self inflicted." My father explained. "I could not read them of course, but I knew they represented evil and darkness in much the same way as I know the symbols of each of the Black Denarians do. And most of all I could feel that Gregor wanted these, he had not accepted them begrudgingly for power and had second thought later. He felt that supremacy over all he surveyed was his birthright and therefore he was not seeking redemption for any of his actions."

"Why was his motivation so important to you?" I asked confused. "Were you thinking to change him?"

"Molly God never sent me on a mission with the goal to kill people like Gregor or even the Denarians." My dad explained. "Taking mortal life remains a sin because with life comes the possibility for redemption. There have been times when I have been forced to do so, but those were always in self defense with someone who was unrepentant for their actions and I had to choose between their life and the lives of innocents. My missions Molly were always about saving lives, especially innocent lives."

"So originally you thought you were sent there to save Gregor." I reasoned and he nodded that I was correct.

"it was not until that moment of seeing what he was willing to do and the glee with which he had thrown his magic around that I knew he was merely a first step to an even greater evil." He said in explanation.

"I took him off the street to an abandoned store and tied Gregor up, mostly so he would not hurt himself and to prevent him from trying any more spells and then I woke him up. I'm not sure what he saw in me but even before my questioning began Gregor began to babble openly about the human sacrifices he had made to the dragon and about the young woman he had left chained to a stake only hours before. He promised me that in exchange for his freedom he would tell me where I could find her; that is if she were still alive. I will never forget the fear in his eyes as he stared at me. I cannot say what he saw in me sent him back upon the straight and narrow but I hope it to be so." My dad gave me these details.

I thought of what my father was explaining and reasoned through my own experiences with such things that Gregor had probably evoked his wizard sight either while fighting his imaginary monsters or upon waking up. I can only think that whatever he saw in my father was so completely opposite of his own beliefs that the very image broke his mind or very nearly did so. Harry had the same thing happen when he had looked upon a skinwalker a year or so ago and he said it nearly destroyed him as well.

"So you went to rescue mom." I said reasoning who the victim would be based upon the pieces of the story that I had already heard bits and pieces of. It's not like many women get to be rescued by the man they love so it was a good story for a young girl to think about. Of course Harry had rescued me, but I was not going to make this association at this time.

"Gregor had told me where he crossed over into the Nevernever where the dragon made its home." He continued. "Like I said Siriothrax was always wise in selecting such locations that people would not merely chance upon and in this case it was no exception to that rule. Getting to the place required some more help from the Church but even so within an hour I too crossed over as well appearing right outside the beast's chosen lair.

"My timing was fortuitous in that your mother was still bound to the stake but the dragon had come out from its lair to torture her before completing the sacrifice." My dad said. "I had never seen someone so brave. I have seen much larger men fall to their knees and cry in terror at sights far less intimidating than the dragon, but your mother Charity stared directly at it, almost as if refusing to let it have this final indignity over her. Instead she just prayed loudly to the Lord asking him to forgive her sins."

"And what did you do?" I asked with a little bit of excitement. "Did you call out a battle cry and charge the beast?" Yeah I have to admit I went for the traditional romantic ideas also.

Dad laughed. "No, though I did call out to it and challenged it to a duel under the rules of The Accords." He said. The Accords were a series of rules that the signatories agreed to abide by to resolve conflicts and disputes between the various parties. It was sort of the magical world equivalent to the Geneva Conventions on what constituted a legitimate grievance and how such actions between signatories were to be handled. Both dragons and the Knights of the Cross were signatories to The Accords.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!" I said with excitement in the same way I did as a child on his lap.

"There is little to tell." He replied. "The truth was merely that Siriothrax saw me as unworthy of challenging him. He was in fact so disdainful of what he saw in me at first that before he would agree to the challenge I had to accept a suit of armor and a shield from his collection that a previous Knight of the Cross had worn when confronting him and obviously failing. Though it was also the dragon's right to pick the form of combat, arms, magic, or will, since I had brought the challenge he also said we would have to battle with arms for I showed little likely aptitude for the other two."

"Wait, Siriothrax actually accepted your strongest form of battle and outfitted you in order to face him?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes, it was the only way he would accept the challenge, saying to do so under lesser conditions would be an insult to his honor that was far worse than even ignoring the challenge completely." My father answered. "If I wanted to rescue your mother I had to accept a means that would in the eyes of others of his kind make the fight appear at least modestly challenging."

"Sounds like you used his overconfidence against him." I said thinking I had occasionally accomplished the same thing.

"No it was more likely that he did this to himself." He replied. "The tower shield he made me carry had been imbedded with a piece of the true cross and while it was incredibly heavy, it was also uniquely capable of protecting me from the dragons molten breath and even more importantly it was able to turn away its claws." I had seen claws on some monstrous creatures smaller than dragons shred cars so I knew that this was a pretty good protection to have at your disposal. I had to believe the piece of the cross had infused the shield with some form of magical protection like my own shields did for me.

"So how did you beat him?" I asked hoping for a good story. "Was it a long battle?"

"No it was fairly short." My father explained. "The creature started by spewing its breath around its lair, melting nearly everything and keeping me trapped inside this circle of burning flames and noxious smells so that I could not flee and it would be forced to pursue. It did all this while I launched my own attacks which it barely even took the time to notice and less time to counter or defend against. I am not lying to you when I say that it could have killed me in the first moments had it been so inclined to. But being old and confident in itself the dragon liked to taunt and tease its prey. Since your mother was not providing it any such sport it decided to do so with me instead."

"Then how did you kill it?" I asked. "You must have devised some plan when offering the challenge."

"In truth I did not expect to." He admitted. "When the battle reached close enough to the stake where your mother was chained I took a moment to shatter her bindings and tell her to flee while I would try to hold the beast off. I figured if I were going to die if she could escape I would still have achieved what God had asked of me."

"And she ran?" I asked not being able to picture this since I knew my mother far too well.

"Actually she refused and instead started by unwrapping herself from the chains that had bound her and even pulled loose the iron stake that she had been connected to." Dad said with a sense of love and pride. "You mother was obviously afraid, but she was not going to show it."

"She began to swing the ten foot length of chain with the four foot iron spike on the end as she threatened the dragon to strike him with it." Dad described the battle and I could picture mom doing this. Mom was certainly a fighter.

"Siriothrax laughed and dared her to do her worst and being challenged like that your mother did exactly that, releasing the chain and hoping the makeshift spike on the end would somehow wound the dragon." He continued his story.

"You aren't going to tell me that she actually succeeded." I said not willing to accept this one in a billion shot. I mean it is one thing to have God on your side but I knew from experience that type of action would have required God to aim the missile into the target as well.

"No." My dad agreed. "If fact the chain flew about six feet to the left of the dragon would have passed harmlessly by had it not chosen to snatch it out of the air with its teeth while taunting her further.

"'That was a really poor throw.' The dragon laughed at her and cocked his head back getting ready to fling the chain back to her. 'Why don't you try that one again.' He said." My dad related.

"I sensed what it was going to do and more out of instinct that purpose I charged forward and aligned my sword to the place where I figured its eye would end up when it made this move." My dad explained. "I believe that God stood beside me at that moment and that is why Siriothrax last thing he saw so surprised him as my blade slide through this orb and into the brain behind it." He finished.

"Wow, you mean you killed him mostly because he was distracted?" I asked.

"I like to think it was because I had faith." He replied.

I thought about that and my own battles and decided perhaps I was not so outclassed by these events taking place around me after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Life After Death **

**_Chapter 10_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

I had heard this proclamation so often over the past few days that I could not get the ringing words out of my mind even when I tried to sleep. Most times the words haunted me and kept me from relaxing except when my body reached a state of near exhaustion. Dammit Harry why did you have to die? Why the hell weren't you wearing your leather duster which might have stopped the bullets? Why didn't you train me for handling situations like this when you were gone? Why the hell didn't you push me harder when you saw I was getting lazy? Why the hell hadn't you just got a damn hotel room like any normal person would have done?

Why the hell did you leave me?

I miss you Harry…

My dad had left after about a two hour visit promising to intercept my mother so I could get some actual rest. He had been there when the doctor changed my bandages again and proclaimed that the wound in my leg was getting better but that there was some inflamed tissue that looked like it might be the start of an infection.

It was not that I could tell him that I was going out every night when I was supposed to be sleeping to instead run on the leg so I really had no choice but to let him inject me full of antibiotics and at the same time a slight sedative for the twinge of pain which put me into a more relaxed state. My last fully conscious thought was to release my chi healing to try and repair the remainder of my leg while I floated trying to find sleep. I figured if I was going to be facing off against a Black Court vampire or something potentially just as sinister and evil, I might need all the mobility at my disposal. But running and fighting was always a last resort for my type of magic. I had a completely different plan forming in mind for Mavra if I could find the necessary parties that I needed to pull it off in the first place.

The sun had not set yet by the time I finally drifted fully awake and I had to admit I was feeling much better if not yet totally refreshed. Dinner in the hospital was a disappointment as usual but I needed to stop for certain food item anyway to implement my plan so I would make sure I grabbed something that actually tasted good at the same time. That left me with more than an hour until dark I estimated before it would be late enough to leave my room and now worry about unexpected visits stopping by. And since I was feeling fairly strong I figured what the hell, I might as well put my time to good use.

The advantage of a hospital is the fact that it provides access to a host of ready materials that can be advantageous to the crafty and inventive wizard, or in my case the wizard apprentice. For example here in the hospital was a small chapel that just happened to have a ready supply of holy water that I would make sure to stop by and gather on my way out the door. Combine this with a few of the glass test tubes that many of the rooms seemed to have in storage and I had a ready backup defense for dealing with the Black Court if both my already cunningly devised plan and my more directly regular offensive measures failed me at the wrong moment.

The same locked cabinet drawer, yeah a little hex spell will disable a simple drawer lock, not only stored the glass vials I needed but also a ready supply of needles that I could use for another little 'operation.' After the attendant dropped off my imitation of dinner, which mysteriously found its way into the garbage rather than my stomach, I gathered up both the new leather duster and the Stetson I had in my closet that hid the shotgun and pistol that I would have no way of explaining if anyone were to inadvertently open it. Thankfully the average perky wizard apprentice also knew how to use magic to make the wooden doors swell so that they would not open to inquisitive busybodies or mothers while she was asleep!

The needles, hospitals called them 'sharps' for some blatantly obvious reason – like anyone who encountered on before would not realize that particular aspect of their construction, were the perfect tool for a bit of preventive magic. I've never been a drug addict for no other reason than the thought of injecting a needle into my arm on purpose made me shake in fear. Sure I had tattoos, but it's not like I had done this work to myself. But mom had insisted that all the kids in our family upon reaching teenager status would be trained in basic first aid which included needle injection work. Dad's ability to come home injured made this a wise precaution even before my own powers began to manifest and I started drawing similar unwanted attention from nasty things. Still I had never been forced to stick myself, at least not until now.

Not wanting to hurt myself too badly I poked the needle into my index finger of my left hand, damn that hurt anyway, and slowly filled about half the syringe with my blood before the flow slowed down and I drew it out of my skin. I then turned the coat inside out and began to carefully poke the needle spot by spot through the inner liner leaving much less than a single drip of my red life fluid in its wake. Slowly over the course of an hour, and with two more sticks into two other fingers I completed a general protection rune that's purpose was basically to magically hardened the leather coat to make it resistant to things like knives, claws, and flying glass. Harry had said the purpose of this form of spell followed the old saying 'The more you bleed in practice, the less you bleed in combat.' I'd actually prefer not to bleed at all but since that option did not seem available I'd take this basic preventative defense.

I am not trying to compare this to the protections Harry had placed in his own coat to what I did from a hospital bed, for my own would last at best for just a few days until all the blood dried up and flaked away thereby breaking the magical power of the rune. To make this effect more permanent like Harry had accomplished would require stitching the coat with pure silver, copper, or a host of other less than common material threads that were each a protection against certain forms of magic. Even those had to be checked and repaired constantly because if the thread broke the rune was destroyed as well. I of course did not have those available at the moment so I worked with what I could get my hands upon.

I also had no illusions that this protection would provide and help against bullets either. Deflecting that type of force was not a simple matter of hardening since the force would still be present, but my shield bracelet had served me well in the past for this particular need. I had used up a significant number of those charges in my recent trip to Mexico but I still had two at my disposal for emergencies, which any time you are being shot at of course generally qualifies in my experience. Personally I preferred to avoid getting shot at in the first place so that was really the direction where I was going to expend all my efforts though I will have to start recharging the bracelet as well soon so that I am prepared for unlikely possibilities.

I cast a quick veil on the hat and coat when the cute orderly collected my dishes and made sure that I gave him every indication that my intent was to go back to sleep soon, hoping he would pass that word around and my room would remain undisturbed for the rest of the night. He had not been gone ten minutes before I was dressed and heading out the door, hidden under a veil myself, and with the three wards on my door in place. After my quick stop at the hospital chapel I was off for more pressing issues based upon my growling stomach. I figured it was going to be a busy night of looking for bad guys so I needed to get myself in the right frame of mind, not to mention getting some quick and tasty energy in my body. Thankfully there was a Dunkin Donuts just a few blocks away to meet this law enforcement need.

What was even more important was that in my drives past this place I noted there was also a payphone in the parking lot of the snack shop as well which provided me the opportunity to make a few calls that were coming due. I picked up the donuts, a pair of freshly made sandwiches, and a six pack of ice cold Coke first, drawing more than a few looks of suspicion by the other patrons and staff in the store by wearing the leather duster and hat as I made my stringent requirements for a dozen vanilla frosted with sprinkles.

Personally I am more into the chocolate frosted raspberry jelly filled but I figured either of the two calls I had to make could result in someone tracing the line and coming to check out where it was originating from so a certain level of sacrifice was required on my part. Being dressed as Harry Dresden might not be enough to convince those who actually knew him that he was still alive, but if the owner and customers reported the duster wearing guy had bought anything except for white frosted with sprinkles then those close to Harry would certainly be sure an imposter was at work.

I started by calling the number that Lara Raith had provided and after only two rings Justine's voice answered. "I assume this is Harry Dresden?" She questioned quite formally and precise which seemed to indicate to me that she was either not free to speak or was less that pleased to be talking with me at all. For safety I assumed the first rather than calling her on it. Whether that meant someone was in the room with her or as was more likely that Lara had this line tapped I did not know, but I figured keeping my conversation short was better anyway. I also was shocked to realize that this one phone line had obviously been dedicated solely to my use since Justine had properly identified who was calling and I knew that caller ID did not work for payphones.

"It is." I said hoping that illusionary sounds, in the trade we call them audible glamours, were not screwed up by technology of the telephone lines. Based on the static and screeching on the line I figured it really would not matter. "Do you have any information to pass to me yet?" I asked both hoping she would and would not in this case.

"I am sorry Mr. Dresden but while Lady Raith was able to confirm the party in question is most assuredly currently in residence within the city at this time, that party does not appear willing to accept callers or politely communicate at this time." Justine said and I decoded that to mean Mavra was in town but the White Court had been unable to determine her exact location or at least have one of their agents return alive to confirm it. With the Red Court destroyed it made sense she would be cautious if not go to ground.

"Please try calling again tomorrow and hopefully the situation will have changed and I will have something more useful to report." She said in her formal business tone but that ended with an odd inflection that told me there was something more at play.

"I will." I answered as the phone crackled even harder. I was just about to hang up anyway when Justine's voice came through again obviously overcoming hesitation or throwing caution to the wind.

"Sir is there any message I should pass along to Ms. Raith or any of the family?" She asked; by which I knew she really meant could she tell Thomas that I had called and that I was truly alive. That was not something I thought would be a good idea right now.

"Not at this time." I said and hung up abruptly hoping she took it for a failure of the phone line more than the truth of me being rude and feeling more than a little awkward.

I immediately dialed the second number, this being the police of course since I had said I would check in on any new developments, and asked for Detective Stallings of Special Investigations. In this case the amount of static on the line was much less which probably means the phone lines and equipment at the station were much older than those used by the White Court. So who says crime, or being a life sucking succubus, does not pay?

"Stallings." He answered rather gruffly after a few moments as I obvious caught him in the middle of something else that had his attention. This was hardly news as the cops in SI were usually brain deep in one mystery or another and distractions only made it that much worse. I'd keep it short then for obvious reasons.

"It's Dresden." I said by way of a simple and direct introduction. "I'm checking on if you have anything further on that zoo issue we were talking about the other night."

He seemed to delay upon hearing my name. "I may but I'm not sure." He said. "Why don't we meet to talk about it? I can come to you if that is what you prefer." The way he said that, almost as sweet as the box of ring shaped sugar products I was holding set off every internal alarm in me. I did not know if Stalling had grown suspicious or been turned but something was certainly changed since the other night. Hell maybe the FBI had his line tapped looking for me based on the explosion from last night. It was not improbably one of those civilians on the scene reported a duster and hat wearing guy had been hanging around. Or for all I know maybe Karrin Murphy might be sitting right there in his office waiting for this call. One thing was for sure, something was definitely not kosher.

"Sounds like a good idea to me too." I lied but tried to sound calm and then paused long enough to make sure there was enough time for him to run a trace if that was what he was doing. I needed to know if he was still someone I could count on or if I was all alone in this. "Let me call you back in an hour or so with a location."

"I'll be waiting." He said as I hung up the phone and hightailed it over to my car noting that there were still a few customers and staff behind the Dunkin Donuts watching me or else incredibly intrigued by payphones which meant they would likely note what car I was driving.

"Yes you will, for a long time." I agreed aloud to Stallings last words and then got in my car calmly before my audience and drove away down the street away from the hospital, making a couple of turns to make sure no one was following me, then in a quiet area placed an illusion of an old yellow Camaro over my car in tribute to Transformers.

Now in this undercover vehicle I drove back and pulled across the street to the local drycleaners that was of course closed and dark at this hour, parked off to the side and turned my engine off so I could watch the Dunkin Donuts for a few minutes to see just what type of trouble I was now in. I figured at the worst I would wait fifteen minutes. If anyone was actually looking for me they would get here quickly I reasoned.

At the nine minute mark from first one direction then soon after the other the high pitched sound of rice rocket motorcycles came racing in my direction. In each case the bike left a brake trail of rubber as they wheeled into the parking lot with the payphone.

The first street racer I recognized even before the leather clad five foot frame of Karrin Murphy got off the bike, noted the location of the payphone, and ran into the Dunkin Donuts to question the employees. Karrin may have lost her badge but certainly not her instincts.

Less than thirty seconds later a second, even louder whine of a Kawasaki Ninja racing bike, probably the only solid white painted one in existence, screamed up from the other direction and stopped right next to Karrin's as she came out of the store.

The good news is that both Thomas, the second rider, and Murphy seemed surprised to find the other one there so they had obviously not been working together on this mutual stakeout of yours truly. The bad news is after just a couple moments of small talk it appeared that the idea of an alliance between the two of them seemed to go from a potential concept to actually be set in place. The absolutely worst news was that one or the other would know whose car 'Harry' was driving thanks to the witnesses and then were likely to realize the hospital was only a few blocks away. That meant they may decide to stop by and check up on my alibi once and for all. Since my dance card for tonight was rather full I had to prevent this rather obvious idea from being a viable option tonight.

What I needed was a quick distraction and a local restored GTO provided the perfectly timed opportunity. As I heard the growl of an engine drawing closer I pulled in magic on instinct and just as Murphy and Thomas's heads were turning to look I cast an illusion spell upon the car at a distance that made it look just like my own lovingly restored convertible Mustang. Of course there was also a dark figure in a leather coat behind the wheel and while the illusion might not have been my best ever, it lasted long enough for the car to turn out of sight up the street when I had to let go of the spell anyway. That proved to be enough however for the pair got on their bikes in hot pursuit.

"Good luck guys." I said moving my car to a less obvious area of the parking lot and dropping that illusion before stepping into the dark corner around the side of the building to put the next part of my plan, the part that required the donuts, into action. "I really hope you find Harry." I said meaning it but knowing that the chase the pair was on was not going to end in that result this night at least.

"That be a fine bit o trickery you performed there lass." A voice called out to me from the shadows but from a point much lower than I would normally have expected for an alley encounter. "I'd swear you have a wee bit of the Old Country blood in ya."

The little lady leprechaun sat on a foot tall toadstool, obviously also a magical creation as these are hardly native to Chicago alleys, puffing away on a pipe as if she had never heard of the American Medical Association or the warning labels on tobacco products. And how the heck did a girl in an emerald green dress who was less than two feet tall with red curly hair like Shirley Temple convince a clerk in a grocery store that she was old enough to buy tobacco in the first place?

"Actually I'm a wizard." I said stopping short a safe distance and looking at the Nevernever resident who was regarding me at the same time. Leprechauns tended to avoid people due to the whole 'give me your pot of gold' myth tied to their kind. Why she was here and what her purpose was in revealing herself likely meant there was more at play here.

"Actually you be Wizard Apprentice Molly Carpenter." She said with a rather cute wink that confirmed to me that this was not a complete meeting of chance.

"Any you are?" I asked hoping she would provide me a name to balance our accounts. Most magical beings are stingy in this sense though since their true name gives a wizard power over them so I was doubtful I'd get anything more than a laugh for my efforts.

"Not nearly so foolish as to give you my name so that I might become the unwitting agent of a human wizard like a certain dewdrop fairy named Toot has been convinced to." She said between puffs but without another draw on the elaborate pipe she blew forth a smoke ring that roughly resembled Harry's little general. The words had an undertone of steel to them but were delivered with a china doll smile.

"But of course to be polite I shall allow you to call me Sweet, short for Sweetie, which is what a rather young girl about seventeen years ago liked to call me when I came to play with her on the swing set that her knightly father had built for her." She smiled setting me back on my heels as I was suddenly awash in my own vague memories.

In the world I had to assume there were not many fathers who qualified as knights, and fewer still of those who had built their daughters a swing set. Memories of playing on this were mostly distant feelings and visions in my mind and I had no real memory of the leprechaun girl, only dolls, but such is the way with these beings in that they purposely make themselves vague in memories of children so that as adults they leave the little ones alone.

But I also remembered that about a year ago my mom made a comment as I was studying on some of my magic and practicing the words aloud that I was back to talking to myself just as I had as a little girl playing with my 'Sweetie doll.' When I had questioned her on this comment she merely said when I was two or three that she often caught me having long conversations with my dolls when playing out on the swing set and that both her and my father often reminisced on this as I grew older. I guess to my parents Sweet could look like a little girl's doll if she were not puffing on her pipe like she was now.

"You have been following me for my entire life?" I asked incredulously realizing that chance meetings were not really a possibility under these conditions. That meant there was a deeper background motive at play and the fact Sweet was female made me all the more suspect of exactly what was going on here.

"Not so much as you might think." She said tapping out her pipe and putting it away in a leather pouch in a pocket that could not possible hold it. "A rather nice fellow named Patrick once did my kind a favor and in exchanged asked us to keep an eye on those of the Church born with the gift of magic. Since it was my clan who settled into your city it fell to us to perform this little task to honor our people's pledge."

"This nice fellow would not have also banished all the snakes from Ireland now would he?" I asked thinking of how a snake might seem a rather formidable nemesis to ground based beings of the leprechaun's height. That would certainly have been reason enough for the leprechauns to honor Saint Patrick's request to watch over magical children of the Church.

"Aye, nasty things they had been too before he drove them away with his magic." She replied with a small shudder as if she had been there herself centuries ago. Of course since faeries did not age like humans I guess that was possible. The fact that Saint Patrick might also have been a wizard only made me shake my head at the odd magical related facts of history that neither teachers nor priests seem to pass on to their students.

"So Sweet, what brings you here this night?" I asked moving the conversation forward. Given their nature and longevity faeries would have no trouble merely conversing the whole night away without ever getting to the actual reason that brought them forth. Of course I had important things to do this evening so I had to get to the point of this meeting.

"I was merely going to inform you that your master's friend Toot will not be coming to your call this night." I paused and cocked my head at this obvious revelation. It had indeed been my intention to call upon the dewdrop faerie and hopefully convince him to scout for the pair of others I was looking for this night. But now I was being told that not only would my plan not succeed but that the little folk had even watched me close enough to guess what I was up to before attempting it.

"The Za Lord's Guard as they call themselves and their beloved general are in mourning for the loss of their beloved wizard commander and have sworn off pizza for a full cycle of the moon in his honor." Sweet replied and I knew this to be nearly a month. "In their state I doubt if they would even hear your call or if so, be willing to respond to any offer that you might make." The fact that a dewdrop faerie would remember an event for a full month put into perspective just how hard the little one's had been emotionally traumatized by these events as those of us in the human sized world were.

But even knowing their own suffering did not stop my own emotions from deflating just a little bit more at the unfortunately and untimely news. As I have said many times I am not Harry and I do not have at my disposal access to the wide variety of spells he did to get these types of jobs done. Harry probably had a way to track these others I needed this night even without using the faeries but if so, that was not a secret he had chosen to share with his apprentice before he had died. It looked like my own plans for this evening were dead before they even started.

"Still you won't be letting those fine sugared pastries go to waste now will ya Molly?" Sweet asked me as she eyes the orange and white bi-colored box of a dozen donuts that was slipping from my grip as I focused on other things. The look of hunger in her eyes was undeniable. And that gave me a quick idea of how I might rescue this evening after all.

"You would not want them now would you?" I asked trying to be as nonchalant as I could possibly be. The dangerous aspect of dealing with faeries is that if you accepted gifts from them they took that as you accepted an obligation for a service. Thankfully the reverse worked if you were the one offering the gift. This of course made the elder faerie types more suspicious of offerings even for things as simple as a donut. Based on Sweet's comment about knowing Saint Patrick I have to think that she certainly qualified as one of the elders.

"Suren yur not thinking to trap me as easily as poor Toot with his addiction to pizza?" She said with a smile but that same deadly undertone of seriousness as before. I should note that failed attempts to trap faeries are rarely looked upon as anything other than an insult to the attempted trapee. And leprechauns were notorious for playing rather mean pranks on those who tried to get the better of them. But hey perhaps I could use that bit of knowledge to my advantage.

"No I am offering them more as payment for you assistance in pulling off a pair of pranks on two others this evening." I said with a bit of a devious smile that immediately warmed the girl up to my idea. Being both a leprechaun and a female the idea of a little mischief made the offering of pastries all the sweeter still.

That certainly got her interest and her attention but she was not ready to jump in with both feet so to speak. "How about we discuss this like civilized people?" She said and with a wave of her hand the toadstool she was leaning on, as well as the ground around it in the alley began to bulge and reshape itself becoming in the end an asphalt table with two benches that left Sweet and I sitting at equal height, eye to eye, with the box of donuts lying there between us in obvious temptation. She tried to maintain her serious demeanor but her eyes travelled back and forth to the box every now and then obviously obsessed by what lay inside.

"Why don't you try one free of charge?" I said with a smile opening the box for her inspection. "That way you can make a valid assessment if the reward I offer is worth the challenge of my request."

"Well since you insist. Why don't you tell me it is you are looking for me to do while I take a taste?" She said as if trying to make her words sound like hesitation followed by reluctant acceptance. That tone however only lasted as long as it took her to cram the entire donut into her mouth, a feat I knew I was incapable of at six times her size, and without dropping a single sprinkle or leaving even a smudge of frosting on her lips. The sigh of contentment upon finishing it was nearly pornographic and almost had me blushing which is not something I do a lot.

"So I am looking for two people and I thought I could enlist Toot and his army of airborne faeries to help me locate them quickly." I said as she opened her eyes slowly in afterglow and began to softly giggle at the delight the frosty treat had given her.

"Mmmm, my clan could certainly help you with that if the price is right. We have contacts throughout the city that we could call upon as well." She said with half open eyes that wandered back to the still open carton now of eleven remaining donuts.

"Yes but I need to find them tonight." I said. "The sooner the better so that I can pull off my prank before sunrise."

"Are the ones you seek touched by magic?" She asked lazily in contentment.

"They are." I replied after a moment confirming to myself that both my targets indeed were.

"Then we can most likely locate them within this very hour." She replied as her hand began to reach for the box once more. "My kind is attuned to such things which is why we watch over those of your kind who are born with the proper spark."

"That fast?" I asked "Even though you cannot fly?"

"Teleporting is much more efficient than flying." She said with a sense of pride though her eyes never left the white frosted rings sitting before her. "We do not have to worry about crashing into birds and such."

I thought about the table before me and my last encounter with the first of the two I was seeking and decided to push the issue just a little bit more. "I'd also like your assistance in helping me prank the first one." I said now fully smiling and projecting a sense of naughty even though her eyes never even approached my own.

"What exactly are you asking me to do?" She asked as I casually slid the box closer to her.

"Why don't you have a bite, you look like you are starving, while I tell you what I have in mind for this night's entertainment." I said knowing she was going to agree in the end. I mean really, who can resist the idea of a free donut with sprinkles? Thanks for this knowledge Harry.

True to Sweet's word within an hour I was on the road in my Mustang heading for the location of the first individual I needed to talk to this evening. My negotiations with the leprechaun clan had required the additional purchase of another dozen donuts, many of these cinnamon coated or jelly filled this time since leprechauns all have their own tastes, but since the shop across the street had a drive though and I removed my disguise it was not like they were going to remember me making this purchase compared to Harry's early visit.

During the drive toward my destination Sweet would appear and disappear from the passenger seat in order to give me updates on what direction to go. It appeared that my target was on the move but the leprechaun clan had no trouble pacing and spying upon my quarry while relaying information through the network established by my new friend and liaison. Each time she appeared her spell was accompanied by a sound I assumed was a dying cat but which she quickly educated me was the proper sound of bagpipes playing. It only took three such appearances to get me not to swerve into oncoming traffic upon hearing the sound each time.

There was one minor hiccup when Sweet paid out one her relatives a bit early with his pastry and instead of waiting he immediately consumed it and lost the target in what can only be called a sugar high state of drunkenness. Since Sweet promised me none of her clan drove cars I did not consider reporting them for possible DUSS; driving under sugar shock, to the guys over in Special Investigations.

Our course led us to one of those new upscale shopping strip malls that had cobblestone streets and catered to upper class clientele by ensuring their prices were ten to twenty five percent higher for the same goods than at Target or if purchased online. Of course people chose to shop here for the ambience and so not to be crowded in the indoor mall stores, or at least that is what they said. I thought it was silly but hey, I cast spells and sugar addict leprechauns so who was I to judge?

I parked my car a distance away from my target's location incase my quarry had eyes out watching and threw up a veil over myself before making my way to where he had last been reported. As I suspected he was not alone this evening and had a few of 'helpers' on nearby rooftops keeping watch for the authorities or perhaps your local Chicago Warden. Thankfully none seemed to see through my veil and I closed on my target without sounding an alarm. It was time to see if that second dozen donuts I bought was going to pay off for me. But hey, never let it be said that I let a moment pass without offering the appropriate theme music. Of course still looking like Harry meant I had to lean toward the classics.

There was a crowd milling around outside the store with the broken window. The fact that there was no alarm going off at this break in was further proof that someone with magical talent was close and likely shorted out the high tech system that this particular jewelry store likely had. A few dozen more beings were milling about inside scooping up the various baubles that caught their boss's attention. Probably the oddest thing about them is how they all looked exactly alike in their grey suits. But I had seen Binder's summoned minions before so this did not even give me pause. Maestro if you would be so kind to turn up the music…

"_We don't need no education…"_

The lead in scream of guitars and the immortal lyrics made all of the grey men pause and stare dumbfounded as the noise they were not suspecting originated from everywhere around them at once. I wondered if the grey men were familiar with this particular song as it sort of described them fairly well. I have a feeling there are not too many concerts played in the realms of the Nevernever and therefore the concept of blaring music was first seen as some sort of attack or warning of such an event to shock them into immobility like an eagle cry did to a rabbit.

"_We don't need no thought control…"_

I have to say this for the grey men, they did not get paralyzed for long. As the second line completed they began to nervously shuffle and swarm around looking for a source of this sound. Like bees or hornets they did not attack each other and I wondered for a moment if I could pull off an illusion of being one of their own and get away with it based on this. But that would perhaps be something for another time and place to test out if I lived through this encounter and the rest of this night. I had a mission to perform here and needed to remained focused on that.

"_No dark sarcasm in classroom…"_

As the crowd of grey men began to expand outward seeking the source of the music those inside the building began to filter out as well filling in the spaces the others were leaving open behind them. Either there were more inside than I had first estimated, or Binder was at work summoning even more reinforcements as he took count of the situation and realized that the song was not some mere random event.

"_Teacher leave those kids alone…"_

I saw him emerge behind another wave of his summoned troops, with even more coming behind him. By this point the swell was half the distance to me and I wondered if the song would finish up in time. Thankfully this greater expansion also slowed the group as they stood shoulder to should so nothing, say like a veiled wizard apprentice, could sneak between their lines. That's okay I was counting on this.

"_Hey teacher, leave those kids alone…"_

Binder paused and began taking account of the situation himself and his troops hesitated as he tried to sort out what was taking place. I give him this, he was smart enough to even look up, which most people tend to forget in a panic occasionally to their dismay.

He was not really a wizard, merely a human who had been naturally gifted to perform one type of spell, in this case summoning spirit beings from some odd part of the Nevernever. As these spirits were hive like creatures, they formed the same grey man bodies upon appearing in our world. According to Harry's memories relayed by the spirit of his mother, he could summon hundreds of these beings if given the time to do so. That made for a rather formidable army. I had no intention of giving him that kind of time.

"_All and all you're just another brick in the wall."_

I dropped the veil and stood there in my new duster and hat with my illusionary staff resting comfortably upon my shoulders. Grey men are not overly emotional beings but my sudden appearance out of nothingness still set those closest to me off screaming alert with their weird babbling that passed for conversation.

"_All in all you're just another brick in the wall."_

I let the music die as Binder turned my direction following the cacophony of other worldly voices that were calling out to him in alert. Even from a distance I could see his eyes widen in sudden shock at my appearance before him.

"Dresden?" He questioned in obvious shock at seeing someone he had not expected to.

"If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding." I said setting the butt of my staff on the ground in my left hand. "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?" I let the words hang in the air and actually enjoyed the feeling of nervousness that emanated from him and was reflected in all his summoned followers.

"Oy mate I heard you had bit it." Binder said with a little bit of tension in his voice. Made sense to me that he would not come back into town after Harry had let him leave unless he had was fairly confident that Harry was dead. Unfortunately for him that little miscalculation, as far as he knew, was going to cost him.

"I thought we had a deal Binder." I said without offering a threat beyond the tone of my voice.

"Aye we did." He shuffled from foot to foot which was sort of comical for someone who had thrown back more than his share of pints in his time based upon his waist coat. Why he thought a sky blue three piece suit would look anything but ridiculous on him, regardless of whether it had been tailored or not, was also beyond my comprehension at the moment. Pinstripes might have provided a look of slimming. This suit just made him look like a giant pillow come to life.

"You see Dresden word on the street is that you had met a terrible fate and I came here to check it out." He said as his eyes darted to the left and the right. For most people that might be an indication that he was looking for a direction to flee but for Binder that was merely a subtle order for his forces to spread out more and be ready in case violence was required.

"Don't even try it." I warned him without making a hostile move except a slight shake of my head.

"Look mate, as I sees it we can both go our own way here tonight." Binder said building up his own courage as more of his forces came to his call from the rooftops and his army swelled in size. The ones I had left behind me he made sure to pull close to him so I did not do anything rash because I felt trapped. It was a small statement of respect between us. "You are certainly no one I'd chose to tangle with but I doubt even you can handle this many of me boys even with your fancy spells." The army swelled by half a dozen more as he spoke these words.

"You are probably correct." I said lifting my staff just about six inches from the ground and making him pause. A wizard's staff being moved is like a handgun barrel slowly pointing in your direction; it deserves a level of inherent respect regardless of what you may think of the person who is holding it at the time.

"Harry…" He began to distract me as his army started to surge toward my direction at a mental command to take me down before I could let loose with my magic.

I cracked the end of the staff back on the ground and the magic I planned executed exactly as I had hoped even though I had not called it up. All around the jewelry shop the cobble stone streets suddenly buckled and knocked those grey men in the lead from their feet creating tripping hazards and delays for the ones that followed behind them. Summoned spirits without bodies do not have the years of dexterity on two legs as real people would have it seems. But the spell had not merely been a simple minor earthquake. Instead it had a much more specific effect in mind.

The leprechaun spell that Sweet and her cousins performed transformed the cobble stone street around us into a giant circle rising up to the three foot level, with me just on the outside of it. I lowered my hand and scraped it on the edge of the top brick closest to me to provide a quick drop of blood and suddenly the magic circle was sealed tight. No new magic would be flowing within the confines of that area until I let go of this particular spell, which of course I had no intention of doing.

And with two hundred or more magical beings within the circle already, it only took a second or two for them to use up all the natural magic that the grey men required to keep their forms while in our world. For the second time in my life I had pulled off the same trick on Binder and his army of spirits was suddenly two hundred splatters of ectoplasm staining the area inside of the circle. I kept the staff on the ground as if I was maintaining the spell and pulled the sawed off shotgun from under my coat and one handedly pointed it in his direction. For the record holding a shotgun, even one sawed off, one handed at a target is not a simple act.

"Now what say we talk." I said with a smile as Binder realized that he had absolutely nowhere to run.


	11. Chapter 11

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 11_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

That drew my attention away from the road I was driving along as I headed toward my next dangerous rendezvous of the night. I looked in the rearview mirror at Binder who was staring back at me with a look of obvious trepidation on his face. His eyes met my own as a sort of silent plea to abandon this dangerous plan of mine.

It was rather pathetic but I was happy to remember at that moment that mirrors prevented the use of a soulgaze. This was good because providing such insight to Binder would not only tear down my carefully crafted illusion and scheme to keep Harry alive, but also for the fact that I had no desire to see what 'the real Binder' was like inside. I'm not usually one to judge a book by its cover but most people can still recognize a porn magazine from a distance when they see one. And the fact that wizard sight images stayed with you forever did not make this any more appealing.

But based upon his declaration I was momentarily afraid something in my disguise had slipped and now my secret had been revealed in some other way. That would be a really difficult problem to overcome without resorting to magic, violence, or serious intimidation. Thankfully his emotions though did not register that type of anger or betrayal that one naturally would when discovering they had been deceived so I could assume my act was still performing properly for the moment.

"I am right here as alive as you are Binder." I said trying to sound confident in that particular fact rather than show any concern that ne might be onto something.

"That is only a temporary state of being mate." Binder said without hiding his obvious fear and displeasure. "If you really plan on going through with mad scheme of yours then I don't see you lasting through the night. And while one less Warden in the world would hardly bother me much, the fact that your plot requires that I will likely die right beside you is not something I am particularly thrilled with." He said rubbing his rather stretched waistcoat like he was experiencing stomach problems, most likely ulcers. Hey no one said the magic business was all kiddie birthday parties.

I was about to respond with something a little compassionate and encouraging when he shifted in his seat to a more comfortable position with one cheek raised before letting loose with a distinctive trumpet like sound; though let me be clear that he held no actual musical instrument at the time. I swear I damn near lost my concentration on my illusion at that moment in obvious shock at this rude display.

And that was even before the smell reached me, which considering I was in a moving convertible with the top down and he was in the backseat downwind, is not only baffling from a pure physics perspective but even more disgusting when you think about that level of implication. There was no way, even with magic of keeping my face from registering my disgust for even the best illusion has limits on what it is capable of hiding.

"Oh like your stomach never gave you problems Dresden." He said without a hint of embarrassment while the cloud somehow continued to surround us both. Could this be in some way connected to his ability to summon beings from the Nevernever? More importantly, did I really want that question answered?

"That is not the point." I said trying to concentrate on the road and hoping to pass some sort of three day old road kill or a line of garbage trucks that had baked all day in the summer sun in order to improve the current scent in the air around me.

"Blimey Dresden you mamma's boy, it's not like there are any women around ." He responded with a look of superiority. "We are guys. It's in our nature. It's what we do mate when we are not trying to pretend and impress women." He said and the thought of that took all of my control to keep me from shuddering at the thought. Yeah and Harry always wondered why I never dated all that much.

I was saved from responding at that moment by the reappearance of Sweet, along with her announcing bagpipes sound, which thankfully differed from Binder's 'trumpet,' teleporting into the front seat of my car once again. This is why I had insisted that Binder sit in the back when I got him into my car, which after the last few seconds appeared to be a wise decision that bore additional unexpected fruit as well.

The little leprechaun started to say something but was paused as she sniffed the air. "Who has been feeding bananas to pigs?" She asked with a look of undisguised confusion on her face.

"Saints preserve us!" Binder said with shock at her sudden appearance trying to scramble backwards while still held fast by the lap belt in the back seat of the car. It was anything but a commercial demonstration of grace under pressure.

Sweet looked in the back seat and noted Binder after his exclamation and then looked back at me. "Oh that explains who was eating the bananas." She said with no hint of a smile.

"Hey they are necessary at my age for preventing cramps!" Binder protested as he realized she was insulting him and not merely some small fey demon who had come seeking either his soul or my own, at least while I was driving.

"As long as you believe it." I answered and turned my full attention instead to Sweet who obviously had something of significance to report from the way she was fidgeting. The leprechaun seemed genuinely concerned for the first time since I had met her and I immediately understood this was somehow related to who she was spying on. I know that if it were my task that this action would have intimidated me at least.

"I take it you are still keeping track of her?" I asked to get the ground based faerie to open up for what she had come here to tell me.

"Aye, that we did. Though I should also warn you she is with others of her kind and they are preparing some sort of magical ritual that I am not familiar with." She confirmed with a note of obvious concern. "The good news is that the four of them seem so intent upon this action that you will likely be able to approach the group without being noticed if you apply a bit of common sense caution."

"You see Binder, we should have no trouble getting close." I said as he gave a look that he was listening and that was hardly complimentary to either the idea or myself. Ah well I had forced him to give a wizard oath to support me in this little bit of mischief in exchange for not punishing him for violating his promise to Harry (me as he thought of it) to stay clear of Chicago. So I knew he would either hold up his end of the bargain or he chanced losing his magic, which with the number of enemies he had made over the years was likely the same thing as a death sentence to him anyway only with the terror of not knowing when it would be fulfilled.

"I'd like to know what kind of ritual she is performing before we step in the middle of it." Binder said in response to the leprechaun's announcement. "Based on where your little friend says our quarry is currently hanging out I can only assume that her ritual is obviously a piece of some rather nasty magic. I am not sure interrupting her would be a better result than letting her complete her spell if you get my meaning."

It was certainly true that there were some aspects of magic where disturbing the concentration of the caster could result in rather dire events for all involved. For example it is never advisable to distract a wizard in the midst of summoning and binding a demon of the lower pits. Sure the demon will almost always destroy the one who summoned it first, and you therefore might be tempted to see that as a good thing, but after those few seconds the demon will then turn its eyes, as well as claws, teeth, tentacles, piranha pig's snout, of flaming monkey poo tosses, etc., toward any other convenient prey such as the disturbing party.

Portals were also another form of magic that was better to let the spell run its course once they had been opened rather than taking out the one controlling it. Portals almost always were a test of will, first to force this barrier open, and then to not let the rip in the fabric of reality become too great in size. Taking out the person who was doing that latter task usually lead to screams, pain, death, and a less than complimentary wake for the fool who did so if anyone ever learned of it.

Personally I'm not all that big into ritual magic spells like these. For the most part it is a type not at all like sensitive magic so it does not come all that easy for me. Secondly ritual magic usually requires exacting repetition of key phrases and actions where any deviation causes negative results; in other words it is really the most boring type of spell casting. And for clarity when I say negative results I mean the spell does not work if you are lucky or something equally as bad as my earlier described scenarios takes place when you ar unlucky.

Potion creation was about the limited extent of my skills with ritual magic and even that was not a sure thing. Harry liked to remind me of the time I had accidentally set his lab on fire, doused myself with acid droplets, and eventually passed out from noxious fumes during one attempt to make a simple potion of temporary physical strength. He fails to usually mention that he had been distracted battling a pair of friendly flea infected werewolves at the time not to mention dealing with a few sticks of dynamite thrown into his apartment so I had not wanted to distract him with what I had thought at the time were minor questions on ratios and mixes. Geez you would not believe the lecture I got over that little miscalculation and the number of times he had accused me of helping to ruin his one day off for that year. Yeah right, like the dynamite thing had not done that all on its own! So yeah, ritual magic and perky wizard apprentices did not mix well.

I could sense that Sweet fumed at Binder's 'little friend' comment. Like many beings, leprechauns did not like to consider themselves incorrectly sized for the world. Instead in their eyes humans were overblown and bulky. Add to that natural inferiority complex a little traditional red-headed Irish temper and you understand how Binder's shoe suddenly burst into flames and how he howled as he put it out. Meanwhile Sweet acted like she was focused on other things in our discussion and did not even notice; way too focused on these other things to not have been responsible.

"Do you have any insight into just what type of ritual they are performing?" I asked Sweet because Binder's concerns were indeed worth considering in my plans. Still it would have to be something pretty darn big to turn me from my confrontational course though since I happened to have the necessary pieces on hand.

"No I'm sorry Mo… mate." She said catching herself. I glanced in the backseat but Binder was still focused on yanking off his smoldering sock to have actually heard her near misstep of using my real name. It was a close shock but I kept my heart rate down to nearly double its normal rate.

"The kind of magic they are dealing in is not one of those me and my people have a lot of traffic in." Sweet completed her though but I could sense her concentrating on something else. "I am getting a feeling though that some kind big and evil magic is gathering here in the city. It may be completely separate of course but I'd say the chance of such a coincidence is rather limited." She answered keeping her eyes focused at a distance as if trying to sense more about the spell she sensed gathering in power.

As a sensitive wizard I could feel those types of things too and once the leprechaun mentioned it I did have to admit that I too could feel a rather large gathering of magical power. Something big was certainly taking place and from its 'taste' it could not be good for the city. Speaking of senses I also got a whiff of the same flaming magical chemical concoction that I smelled last night around the sporting goods store fire that water could not extinguish. It was not Hellfire or brimstone, but it was certainly flame-related, evil, and very, very, very, did I mention very, powerful.

Based on the reconnaissance the leprechaun had performed I explained to Sweet how I planned to sneak my forces up without being seen but she suggested a different approach that I had not considered which she said would better serve my purposes. After she explained I agreed with a smile, telling her she was a genius at being devious; which was the best type of genius there is in all creation to most faeries. Sweet said she would go back and scout ahead for any changes in our opponents' activities that I need to concern myself with and would get things ready for me. With another flatulent bagpipe explosion the girl was gone on her pursuits.

"Get your shoe back on Binder we are going to be walking the last few blocks." I said looking at him in the mirror so I could see whatever defiance he tossed my way.

"Walk?" He said with obvious disdain and I could tell that the idea of exercise was one only of last resort and then only of survival necessity in his eyes. That's okay he could use certainly afford to drop a few pounds; I'm sure his doctor would agree.

"Yes walk." I said. "I fairly certain the car might alert them that company is coming before we invite all your friends to the party." I explained. "I personally do not see this as a good thing do you?" I asked rhetorically and then went on to more pressing matters. "How long do you require to summon your army of grey men?" I asked so that I could get the timing right.

"I can bring about a dozen through a minute." He said with obvious pride as I calculated that out. That meant three grey men per adversary per minute. Nope we would need a lot more than that at first if this plan had any hope of success. Figure ten minutes to walk the two blocks, twenty probably for Binder based on the shape he was in, that would make our side number at nearly two hundred and fifty.

Of course there was no way I could put a veil over that many. I think a dozen was the best I could do at one time and even that is probably pushing it considering the magical mechanics involved. It was therefore a good thing that Sweet had offered me that alternative means to disguise my forces until the time came to attack. And the best part was it really should not be all that difficult a spell to maintain once it was in place. That meant I should not be completely out of power if it came down to a fight; well I really mean is if it came down to me being in a fight.

We parked my car and got out to begin our trek. Binder wasted no time in opening his gate and after every ten steps or so another of his grey men was suddenly marching along mostly silently beside us. Thankfully this was not a particularly busy part of town at night or we would likely have stopped traffic as everyone would have stared at our little ad hoc parade. All I needed was some sort of musical instrument and I could have declared myself the pied piper of Chicago, here to rid the city of magical vermin.

I had been to Graceland Cemetery before when Harry took me there once and therefore already knew the general lay out. He had told me after dark the city locks the place up which normally would mean that our group would be required to scale a wall or enter by some other less direct means. However, with Binder, who I may have mentioned did not have the form of an Olympic gymnast, and his army of grey men, the whole Special Forces approach was not going to work. I also suspected that since this was the location my target had chosen and with her already performing a magical ceremony, the standard concerns about the rent a cop at the gate would not be an issue that I needed to spend too much time over.

Unfortunately I found out how right I was, as the body of the cemetery guard lay right beside the shack, his throat torn open and his blood drying on the concrete beneath him. I had seen this particular type of death before, it is one of those events in my life that made mall shopping a less than pleasant idea for me. Thankfully I had come prepared for this potential and as soon as I got through the gate I popped the cork out of one of my vials of holy water and poured it over the face and neck of the presently deceased, but soon not likely to be totally dead, guard. The fact that his entire body began to smoke before collapsing told me I had done the right thing and just in time.

"Nasty bit that." Sweet said as she appeared out of nowhere sitting on a nearby headstone. The fact that there had been no sound of bagpipes made me assume she had merely dropped a veil this time and not teleported to this location. Considering that stealth was called for in this situation I assumed that the use of powerful veils was how she was successfully spying on our target.

"Beats the alternative." I said without much emotion. Based on my recent experiences in Mexico I found it interesting that I had become so hard where death was involved. On the other hand it was just the kind of thing Harry might say so it was a good way of reinforcing the illusion while Binder was standing close by.

"The vampire has not moved." Sweet said confirming what I had hoped for. "She is still performing that ritual around the open grave as you suspected she would be." Given the location, current events, and the individual's personal history it was no great feat of logic to have figured this out.

Graceland Cemetery is rather famous, not just among the Chicago magical community, but also by the general civilian population. It is the largest cemetery in the city and with the exception of a few such plots on church grounds, the oldest of these types of facilities. It has been catering to the final needs of both the city's wealthiest and its most destitute residents for going on two centuries and showing them that regardless of the status and wealth they may have possessed in life that they really cannot take it with them on this final journey.

Tourists actually came to the place during its open daylight hours to bask in the architecture on display here. Yeah that seems like an incredibly creepy idea for a vacation to me too, but hey some people collect stamps and other like to dress up like Elvis so who was I to judge how a person decided to spend their relaxation time?

For that unique group of tourists there were indeed some rather remarkable structures to admire. Oddly enough for a city in the middle of America this included examples of both Ancient Greek and Roman temples, the obligatory self promoting statuary hinting back to the more modern renaissance era, and even a few Egyptian obelisks and a similar time-lined pyramid lest that historical period be ignored. Artists and their patrons had put a lot of work into these final resting places pushing ostentation and self idolatry to a whole new level.

On the other hand there were also swaths of basic weathered marble headstones as well that proclaimed the name of the deceased and a simple final honor such as 'beloved father' or 'loving wife.' Personally I always felt those better spoke to the true character of the one lost to the world than some grand temple made of a thousand such stones.

Harry had brought me here over a year ago to show me his grave. Years before that a Red Court vampire named Bianca had bought both the plot and the headstone for him and offered this as a gift before the magical community of Chicago. It really had served as a less than subtle threat that his days of spell casting were numbered. Harry had actively taken part in her destruction instead; the event it turned out which had sparked off the war between the Red Court and White Council that had finally come to an end in Mexico a few days ago. It therefore did not surprise me that this location, with its continual opening grave awaiting delivery of his body, would play some role in these events now that Harry was rumored to be dead.

I looked at Binder and his army of nearly two hundred grey men that stood behind me awaiting his relay of my command. Even with such numbers backing us up the chubby warlock seemed incredibly nervous, an emotion that displayed to me that Binder had a fair share of common sense in that misshapen frame of his.

But while his eyes pleaded with me to call this confrontation off I merely responded with a shake of my head to say we would proceed as planned. "I am heading up there to prepare things. Bring your grey men up in five more minutes." I ordered in a nearly silent soft tone that carried a deadly seriousness to it. I could feel he was waffling but I knew in the end he would agree because I had left him with no other reasonable choice but to comply. Sweet offered me a wink of support all the same.

I popped a veil over myself and headed toward Harry's grave. Looking around I knew for certain that there was no way I could have tried to hide more than two hundred beings as they wandered through a cemetery in all directions. Sweet's idea on how to accomplish this same thing was the better choice and now I knew the only viable option I had available. All I needed to do was get close enough to where the ritual was taking place without being seen and I could pull it off. Yeah this was just like the stupid types of heroics that Harry usually tried to pull; the same heroics that almost always ended with him getting hurt in some nasty way.

Once away from Binder I really did begin to feel the power of dark, evil, and warm magic that was flowing in the air around me and growing ever stronger as time passed. It was both subtle and brooding in feel, which is the only way I could describe it, like the spell was awaiting a focus to point its attention upon. It permeated the air and even gave a hint of ash to my taste buds though I was not eating anything at the time.

As I have said before my veils are pretty darn good and as long as I avoided stepping on noisy twigs, not something in evidence in this rather well kept facility, I had no problem first reaching a point two rows back from where Marva and her three assistant fledgling Black Court vampires were circled around Harry's grave deep in their spell.

Marva was one of those beings who literally scared the hell out of me for what she represented. Harry, Thomas, and I had faced off against a Black Court vampire a few years ago who, like Marva presently, had a set of fledglings with her also. That fight had nearly killed all three of us and the Black Court leader had only been a vampire in that case for about a year.

Marva in contrast has been around for centuries, or at least that is what Harry suspected, and she was also a wizard of no little power as well. That meant she was many times the level of badass as the Black Court vampire we had fought in the mall, and this time there was no Thomas or Harry at my side backing me up; there was just a perky wizard apprentice, a less than reliable, overweight warlock, and his army of grey men.

I had told Binder to give me five minutes before following in order to prepare my spell and I knew that I needed all that time to do it right or Marva would literally have me for lunch. Once I had the quartet of bloodsuckers in view I began to circle around them so that I was eventually standing for a moment on the opposite side of where I had approached from, and therefore where Binder and the grey men would as well. This pictures is what I had to get perfect in my mind for my plan to succeed.

"Margaret I need your help with this." I said within my mind seeking out the spirit of Harry's mom. Hell I figured with her experience and attention to detail that this could hardly hurt my cause.

"Of course Molly." She answered immediately and seemed to know exactly what it was I needed from her. "I had been monitoring what your new acquaintances have been saying and I have to admit the little leprechaun was right, this is a far better idea."

"I know." I said. "I just wish I would have thought of it." Staying alive without Harry's protection meant I needed to think of these types of things on my own. There would not always be a leprechaun, or a master wizard, available to offer me good advice when I needed it.

"Don't be too overly hard on yourself my dear." Margaret replied. "It is not like even The Merlin was gifted with total magical understanding in his apprenticeship. He had to learn and invent ways to use magic just like the rest of us have to." She explained to cheer me up knowing that an image of a bumbling Merlin always did so.

"Now focus on the task at hand so you do not end up with your pretty throat torn out." She said. Yeah that was just the type of reality pep talk I required at the moment.

Once I was pretty certain I had all the details I required I began to make my way back around the vampires once more to the other side. I judged that I still had a little available time remaining so while I watched my steps I also listened in to what the four vampires were chanting. It was hard to make out all the words since they spoke with a lot of hissing sounds, but my ability to sense magic and the few phrases I was able to pick up told me that they were performing necromancy, no real surprise there, and some sort of spirit searching spell. I had no time to ponder on that too much as I had to get to casting my own spell if I was going to pull this off encounter and live to tell about itone day in my memoires.

I began drawing magic to myself and still kept my eyes darting from Marva and her crew toward the location the grey men would come from. I got to my starting point once more with enough magic and in a fine display of spell casting dexterity I tossed up my new illusion while at the same time dropping the veil. My magical reserves at this point were down to about half of what they normally were when I was well rested. Keeping my illusion of Harry going did not draw a whole lot of power as it was simple, sensitive magic, but even a dim bulb will draw down the largest battery over time and this was the effect that I was experiencing. Not like I had any time to recharge, so Molly stop complaining and get to it.

Marva showed me just how dangerous she was with magic in that she sensed the release of my spell as I cast it and immediately had her eyes darting in my direction without interrupting the repetitive ritual spell she herself was casting. Her three minions were not alerted to her movement or well trained to stay focused on their tasks and therefore kept on chanting as their mistress began to scan for the source of the magic she had felt come into existence or identify the result of that spell. Thankfully for me Marva was used to small, simple, or subtle things where spells were concerned and therefore overlooked what was really going on.

You know that scene in Saturday morning cartoons where Bugs Bunny paints a picture of a tunnel on a cliff face and it suddenly becomes real? Yeah that was sort of what I was doing with my magic. Instead of trying to cast a veil over a whole army of people which would require me at the same time take into account their actions and movements while not making gravestones disappear, Sweet had suggested instead that what I do is create a mural-like illusion across Marva's line of vision.

You could sort of picture it as a curtain of magic that hid the army of grey men as they slowly and quietly came forward but instead of being some opaque barrier that would instantly alert her that something sinister was indeed underway, instead I merely created a replica of the graveyard scene from where she was standing. This is why I had to circle all the way around to make sure I got all the key details correct even down to the visible text on tombstones. Margaret Dresden's spirit was invaluable at capturing all of these details with her near photographic mind.

When the mistress of the Black Court looked up, what she saw before her was the same things she had likely only casually observed when beginning her ritual spell; the same slabs of marble, the same patches of grass and weeds, and even the same glow of street lights from beyond the walls of the cemetery. Having Margaret's spirit able to help me even adjust the colors to the right hues and other various details in my mind's eye helped ensure the illusion would pass the reasonability test especially for a distracted vampire.

As I hoped after just a few glances that revealed nothing immediately dangerous Marva turned her attention back to the spell she was casting totally oblivious to the swarming army of grey men who began to shuffle up to the row of tombstones one layer behind me before stopping and awaiting my command to Binder.

I had to wonder if it were possible in the middle of a complicated ritual spell to engage Wizard Sight. That was one of those little details I realized I overlooked but I guess that Marva either did as well or was not capable of this type of multitasking at the moment.

"Spirits of Set, Omens of Osiris, I command thee to open the Book of the Dead and call forth the spirit of the deceased so that I might speak to him." Marva now chanted louder her words louder as she refocused upon her spell; either that or with a chance to more fully concentrate I was able to listen more closely and decipher them though her lips did not seem to properly align with the sounds.

"Actually Molly the vampire is speaking in Ancient Egyptian." Margaret's voice informed me. "I am merely translating it for you between your ears and your mind so you can understand it."

"Holy universal translator Spock!" I though in my mind. "You can do that for all languages?" Wow there certainly were upsides to this possession by a spirit thing.

"Only those languages that I was fluent in during my life." She informed me to a little disappointment. "That is the twenty seven most used on the planet or in the Nevernever child." She politely scolded me at my unwarranted moment of discontent.

"Well that will just have to do I guess." I said with a sigh that was all smiles inside.

"Dead of the Underworld you serve at my bidding!" Marva's orders and magical command pulled the power of the grave from the cemetery around us to her and focused it through a darkening portal of pure cold, the chill of death no doubt, as her spell began to reach toward culmination. "Spirits of the dead bring me the soul of Harry Dresden!" She screamed aloud with her head thrown back at the dark skies with eyes awash in the ecstasy of magical power release. Her minions' eyes though never left the ground where their chants continued to support her spell. Once more inspiration and fate demanded that I not let this opportunity of a cue call pass.

I parted and stepped right through my curtain illusion before letting it snap back, literally making me seem to appear out of nowhere rather than the normal dissipation of a veil. Even distracted by the spell Marva was alert and the sudden motion was enough for her to sense my arrival and her eyes to snap back upon me, in my Harry illusion of course, leaning slightly upon my fake staff as I smiled in her direction fairly sure she had never seen this type of spell effect before.

"You rang?" I said aloud and without any hint of concern causing Marva to stutter and the magic of her spell she held to shatter in her hands and mind. The area of concentration, centered on Harry's open grave, suddenly exploded outward in a blast of frigid, somber power. Marva caught the blast full in the face as she stared at me and the magic of this whiplash tore gobs of flesh away from her form and further shredded the old, damaged, and simple black cotton shift she wore.

Her recently created fledglings did not have their creator's magical strength or protective wards to draw upon as a defense to the spell's backlash so the power literally blasted them onto their backs and tore away almost all the exposed clothing and a significant portion of the dead flesh they wore beneath. By their nature both Marva and the new vampires would of course regenerate back from these wounds over time, but from the way the young ones scrambled in response to the pain this blast inflicted I knew it would take a few moments at least before they would be a threat. And that little time would just give more grey men time to join the party.

"Dresden, so you are still alive?" Marva asked showing that she had mostly, if not completely, believed the rumors of Harry's death to be true as she stood up to face me rather than continue to appear being subservient to me upon her knees.

"You seem overly surprised by this." I said calmly and made no hostile action which any intelligent being would do knowing she was wounded. It was not that I was afraid to have her misinterpret my actions as hostile and then attack also, well I did have that as a concern but not that she would be focused on, but rather my purpose was to appear annoyingly calm like I did not consider her a threat even worthy of this basic precaution. Undoubtedly she had heard by now the stories that Wizard Harry Dresden had just taken down the entire Red Court in Mexico so Marva's eyes actually widened in fear at my display of cool demeanor and lack of fear. "I would have thought a rifle armed assassin to be far too impersonal for you."

She paused at my comment and then smiled, and if you have never seen it a Black Court vampire's smile is not something you want to look at very often. "You think that I had something to do with that pitiful attempt upon your life?" She asked with a laugh that was just way too sinister in tone not to be completely true.

"It really does not matter does it?" I said in response to her retort. "The Black Court aligned itself with the Red Court which means you and I are still at war." I reasoned and that steel undertone of my words took the laughter out of her voice.

"Besides, let us not overlook that you are an evil bitch anyway and I've been meaning to get around to destroying you and cleaning up my city anyway." I said but still took no offensive action.

Marva's eyes hardened at this blatant challenge but she chose in caution and wisdom not to immediately response. Instead the vampiress looked at her minions who were only now starting to find their balance once more in order to reach their feet and stand though they still were looking much worse for wear. The three glared at me with the Hollywood typical vampire stares of 'dinner is served' on their wicked faces but they also made no move without their mistress's command to do so. She was afraid, I could sense that clearly, but she was also intrigued that I was actually alive and was therefore waiting to see what I would do.

"While the rumors among my kind are that you destroyed the Red Court nearly single handedly I still have trouble seeing you as any kind of true threat. Perhaps this natural ability people have to underestimate you explains how you have survived to this point." She said taking a measure of me while her eyes narrowed and I did nothing at these insults.

"Do you really think you are a match for any of my three newborns much less all three of them and myself you pitiful excuse for a wizard?" She was getting cocky. Good I liked my opponents to feel that way right before I pulled the rug out from under them.

Or in this case dropped the curtain was probably the more correct metaphor. "No, I probably am not." I said without still raising a hostile hand. "That is exactly why I brought along friends of my own." I smiled back and dropped the curtain illusion allowing her to see nearly three hundred grey men standing right behind me and ready to attack.

I did not even turn to look at my soldiers myself, but instead merely enjoyed the way the eyes of the vampire crew widened at this sudden revelation of an army of unexpected and unseen enemies here on their very doorstep. "Go get em boys!" I ordered and Binder through his own magic, who was hiding toward the back behind a larger statue relayed my order to his minions. In an instant the entire groups swarmed right past me to get at the vampires and tear them apart.

Grey men may look clumsy, but they can still move rapidly enough when in a swarm to be a threat to just about anything including Black Court vampire wizards. Marva recognized this too as the horde encircled her forces and she immediately ordered the other three vampires to attack as well before she was fighting for her own life.

It was truly a battle of quality versus quantity. A Black Court vampire, even a mere fledgling, is incredibly fast and vicious as far as most monsters go. In almost every case it took only two or three blows from their inhumanly sharpened clawed hands to transform one of the grey men back into a pile of ectoplasm goop from which they were created. Sometimes it even happened with only a single well placed blow as was most common for those unfortunate enough to attack Marva herself.

But even with all this power at their disposal the Black Court team was starting from an impossible position. In the time it took a fledgling to finish off one grey man, one or two of its compatriots were capable of closing and landing blows on the vampires in return. While these strikes were generally nothing more significant than a knife scrape on an oak tree, enough such blows will still cause even the strongest of trees to eventually fall.

The grey men also felt neither fear nor pain which was probably the two greatest disadvantages the vampires had in this fight. Without a sense of pain the grey men continued to attack even if a vampire's first blow tore an arm from its body. Of course a human could never keep up such an attack in those conditions.

Likewise without a sense of fear the grey men did not register any need to retreat while their companions were being ripped apart right before their very eyes. They just took each loss of their numbers as a means to move closer and attack themselves. This then left the vampires with no breathing room and while Marva was eventually able to draw forth the sword at her belt and made excellent use of it, the continual press of opponents kept her from having the time to draw upon the magic at her disposal which might have tipped the balance in her forces' favor.

In the end it was the vampires' own ruthlessness to see their enemies dead that contributed to their undoing. By killing the grey men the vampires inadvertently transformed these summoned beings back into pools of ectoplasm which splashed upon the ground. After the first two dozen or so such deaths the ground around the vampires was so saturated with the stuff that even the blood suckers' enhanced physical attributes were not able to fully compensate for its hazardous effect.

The fledgling to Marva's left was the first to lose his footing and slip to one knee. It was only a temporary disability but enough for the wave of grey men to literally crash down upon him burying the novice vampire under a mass of battling bodies that kept up their attack until the undead creature on the ground beneath them was torn completely apart.

Marva was not stupid and knew the limitation of her forces when faced with such a threat. She recognized at this point that standing and fighting would only end in her own destruction and no creature that had lived as long as she had, who had developed such a sense of survival, was willing to accept that result to happen just to continue a useless fight. She issued a growl command to her two remaining, yet both wounded, minions to guard her flanks and standing herself at the pinnacle of the formed triangle began to try to cut a wide swath of a pathway to freedom.

The fledgling on her right was the next to stumble and Marva, knowing she needed him to protect her flank from grey men, turned to fight off his swarming attackers with her sword momentarily delaying the breach from that side. But as she was usually a solitary figure and not used to fighting with a team, Marva had not taken the time to tell the minion on her left what she was doing until it was too late.

The last one on her left of course was focused upon his own battles and so stepped past his mistress exposing both his own flanks to attack in the process to almost all sides at once. By the time he recognized his error and tried to retreat it was already too late for him even though Marva slew four or more of the grey men who had turned their backs on her in order to finish off this second vampire.

The mistress of the Black Court and her remaining assistant immediately went back to back and tried to keep the remaining grey men at a distance. Unfortunately they were tiring out and Binder was by this point able to replace each of the grey men lost from this point on by drawing forth a new one. The smile the warlock now wore on his face relayed that he understood we were likely to live through this night after all.

And then I sensed a sudden explosion of powerful magic, the same fire based mystical energy that Sweet had tuned me into. The odd part of this is that the magic had originated from somewhere far behind me, certainly not within blocks of the cemetery, rather than from Marva who was standing before me. I realized in that moment for all her power, Marva was not the female I had observed last night at the fire either then.

The invisible tsunami of power from this explosion reached our battle a few seconds later and its effect nearly made me swoon which attested in exhaustion as the normal flows of magic were temporarily realigned. This demonstrated in a terrifying way the level of power that had been released somewhere in the city.

"Dresden!" Marva called over the odd warbling sound that the grey men made as they regained their own equilibrium and continued their attack. Her own voice seemed just as shaky as I felt and I understood she too had been momentarily affected by the same feeling of malaise that I had experienced. Of course she was in a life and death battle when this had happened and I was fortunately not so the advantage went to me in this case. "My death curse will destroy all those you care about wizard!" She said as a last ditch threat that filled me at first with fear for those I loved and then the rage at this to deny it which exploded from my mind.

In their human forms the grey men seemed to sense these emotions that projected from my body just as well as humans would and they surged even more to attack in response to my anger. First they ripped apart the last fledgling without even knocking him to the ground as they had the others. And then they buried Marva under a flood of ectoplasm created flesh. The Black Court vampire's sword was torn from her hand and tossed away before chunks of her body began to be ripped clean away as well.

"Halt!" I commanded and either Binder immediately translated this command or the grey men sensed my emotional dominance and did as I ordered. "Hold her still." I said and nearly a score of the creature found hand holds upon the vampire's bleeding and damaged body to do as I commanded leaving only Marva's face visible to regard me as I stepped around the pile to look down upon her.

I knew enough not to meet a vampire's gaze even in the red heat of my anger. Members of the White Court could seduce with just such a glance. The Red Court, before they were destroyed, could charm their way into your heart in just such an instant. But the Black Court were said to be able to enslave any being, animal or human, that foolishly met their eyes. I was not about to test that theory so I had one of the grey men place his hand in such a way to almost completely block her sight.

"I could have one of them shove their hand in your mouth or down your throat." I said calmly and very emotionally detached to Marva. "I am fairly certain that this would stop your death curse from being spoken. In fact I would be willing to bet my friend's lives on it."

I could sense from my words that the vampire felt actual fear, possibly experiencing this for the first time in a very long time. That is the down side to being nearly immortal, you forget what it is like to feel helpless. But I was equally certain Marva had enjoyed this when the roles were reversed and she placed others in such a position. All bullies tended to be like that. Now it was time to see if she would cower as quickly as most bullies did when they no longer had control.

"If you wish to survive this night you will agree to my demands without negotiation." I said calmly as I circled her pinned form so that she could not get a good bearing on where I was standing. Red Court vampire spittle could also charm anyone it landed on and I did not want to take a chance of her hocking a loogie at me and pulling a spit soaked victory out of the jaws of defeat; yes pun intended.

Like I said centuries of living as a hunted creature meant that Marva had undoubtedly built up a fairly strong survival instinct and while I sensed complete and utter hatred for me and her present vulnerability at the moment, her remaining rational mind was willing to accept listening to any offered alternatives to death that were presented. Let's be fair, it is not like she was going anywhere.

"What are your demands wizard?" She said in barely contained rage in Ancient Egyptian no less, her words being almost animalistic grunts that took me a moment to decipher with Margaret's help.

Three is the normal number for placing such demands on another as there is magical power in the number three. That is the reason genies always grant three wishes because somewhere along the line, those in charge of magic decided that freedom was worth three services and it has remained that way every since. So to keep this level of power I too would make three demands on the vampire.

"First you will provide me all the information you have or can speculate over the significant magical events that are currently taking place within our city. You answers will be both honest and complete to the best of your ability." I said making my wording such that she could not simply elude me with half truths in order to lead me to my own doom through my ignorance. This was a common practice among higher magical powers such as Faerie Queens and lower plane denizens who would both thereafter providing these just sit back and enjoy the folly.

"Second you will pack up operations and leave the city of Chicago forever more before this day is done." Damn it was after midnight already so I gave her a lot of time. "You will cut all ties you have to this city and leave none of your followers or agents behind to do your bidding either." I demanded figuring it would be good that if Harry was actually dead to make sure one of those beings that most worried him was not around to continue operations. This was especially important if I had to take up his mantle. I would not always have Binder and his forces of grey men at my disposal to do battle with a Black Court wizard in the future.

"Lastly you will swear a wizard oath upon your power that all issues between us are settled and all accounts closed. You and yours shall not willing cross paths to seek conflict with me and mine, especially my friends, in the future lest you suffer the stripping away of all your magic." I said knowing such a thing to likely be as abhorrent even to a Black Court vampire with other natural skills at her disposal as it would be to any wizard of the White Council. This would ensure that even if Marva could hit back at Murphy, or my dad, or even Harry's favorite perky wizard apprentice that the vampire would not do so in fear of losing her powers which she had to consider rationally would be far more important to her over the centuries than a quick moment of revenge against the one who had bested her.

I could feel that her hatred was growing even stronger, and like her magic instead of burning hot it was frigid cold in its raw shock value and danger. "I… do… swear… to… abide… by… all… your… terms… Wizard… Dresden..." She said to me slowly and clearly in English, forming each word as she struggled against the binding she was therefore placing upon herself. Thomas called his inner hunger of lust a demon, a separate entity that he had to do constant battle with in order to not succumb fully to it. I wondered though if this definition was even more true for those of the Black Court whose existence was only one of death.

"You will understand if I do not choose to release your or uncover your eyes until after we complete our conversation." I said without a hint of compassion.

"My respect for you only grows with each breath you somehow survive to take." She replied with a not so subtle undertone. I had to actually laugh at that comment as it really was pretty good one liner considering what state she was presently in.

"Tell me what you know of the source of that explosion of magic we felt a moment ago of the attack on Johnny Marcone last night." I ordered Marva in commanding tone so to allow her the opportunity to fulfill the first part of our bargain.

"I know nothing of it nor who is behind it. Had I known it was coming it might be you lying beneath my hands right now Dresden" She said with obvious enjoyment, so much in fact that she actually smiled thinking she had gotten off easy for this part of the deal to save her life. But I also sensed a little bit of intrigue and evil in her emotions, I mean even more than is regularly part of a Black Court vampire's day-to-day personality that is. She was playing cagey with me.

"Your oath requires your magically experienced speculations on these events as well Marva." I pointed out to her and this gave her pause. "I can tell you know something more than you said, or at least you are hypothesizing upon things that you have yet to speak of."

"My speculations are only that based on the level of what we felt at such a distance that it would take either a well aligned group of significantly powered wizards or a singular being of nearly god-like ability to release such a spell as we felt." She replied as the compulsion required of her. "Groups so singular of purpose without the distraction of self-promotion and infighting are incredibly rare to find, and even more so now since you destroyed the Red Court and rumors claim that you reduced the Order of the Black Denarius to just a few remaining of their number." She replied as she obviously considered any others that might fit that description.

"On the other hand there are there are a number of singular beings with access to that kind of power. Ancient gods, denizens of Hell, dragons, former apprentices of Kemmler, if any such still live, and of course that other order of wizard types who oppose the works of the White Council from both within and without in the shadows just to name a few of the most obvious." She said with obvious enjoyment since her list was too long to offer any particular insight into my dilemma.

"You mean the Black Council?" I said providing the name Harry had designated to use when those who suspected its existence spoke together of the latter group.

"The Black…?" Marva began to question and then stopped. "Ah yes I get what you mean. Yes that appears to be a very appropriate working title for those beings until they provide their own names, probably when looking down upon the remains of the White Council."

"Like I am with you right now?" I said wiping the smile off her face with that one pin stick observation.

"Do you know who they are?" I asked.

"Hardly." She said. "I merely am aware that they exist by an absence of being able to explain some things in any other reasonable manner. Their efficiency of hiding is so well that they are found because they do not exist, if you take my meaning." She explained and I had to admit this was in many ways how Harry came to suspect them as well.

"Like other such beings of power I like to think that as long as their interests are not operating at cross purposes with my own then their organization means nothing to me or to my own personal designs." She said without a care for what other mischief these people might cause.

Okay this information was hardly as helpful as I had hoped when my instinct to capture her and get Marva to talk overrode my desire to see her destroyed. Sure ridding Chicago of the Black Court presence certainly should be chalked up in the win column, as would the fact that in the process I have an oath from her to protect all of Harry's friends from her revenge. But having someone both far more knowledgeable in magic to help me figure out what was going on and evil enough to be doing these things themselves was a situation I would not likely get too often so I did not want to see it wasted. Thanks to her blood sucking nature, Marva knew more about magic than I likely would learn in my first century. And that suddenly reminded me of something important that she might have the answer for!

"How many spells are you aware of that use blood as a key component?" I asked while pulling the note I had jotted Archive's words down upon from my pocket.

Marva laughed. "Really Dresden, that seems an amateurish question for a wizard of your reputation even for someone as young as you." Her emotions hardened a bit and I realized I had made a slight tactical error and raised her suspicions.

"Well this one is rather specific in its requirements so I am glad you are so well versed in these varieties. I should have suspected that a Black Court wizard would specialize in this specific type of magic." I said trying to cover up my tracks with flattery wrapped in sarcasm. "What can you tell me then about the spell that needs the following blood components?" I asked and then began to read down the list one item at a time.

Marva listened closely and obviously was committing the items to memory perhaps for her own future use. While I read them aloud I also monitored the vampire's emotions which read as curious or intrigued meaning the combination was new to her rather than as superior, knowledgeable, or even afraid which I would take to mean she knew the spell.

When I finished I said nothing so that I could let her brood for a moment or two and work through the mechanics of blood magic. I figured a few centuries of dealing in this area might make recalling the correct spell, or at least being able to surmise what it was for, take some time.

"Is that all there is to it or are you holding out on me?" Marva asked as if she had come to some sort of conclusion.

"No that is the complete list that I acquired." I responded. "It is just the eight things as I described them to you. What type of spell do you think the person behind this unique collection is planning to cast."

Marva smiled and this disturbed me just as much as the first time I had witnessed it. "I truly do not know Dresden." She said. "And you know if I were lying that my oath would take away my powers before the words even reached your ears." She had me there but still I could tell by her emotions she was holding out something from me, and judging by the level it was rather vital, that she had deduced.

"But you know something more than what your have said." I challenged pushing the emphasis that I was still in control and that she was still at my mercy for the time being.

"Most assuredly I solved one obvious part of your little riddle." She replied as her emotions became almost gleeful to be explaining this to me. "Those are not spell components you see listed." She said. "Instead they are the eight components for creating some sort of potion." She explained and I immediately realized that she was correct.

Magical potions always require eight items for the magic to be successful; a base liquid, one that symbolizes each of the five senses, one for the mind and the last one for the spirit. As I read down the list I saw that this was exactly what I was reading, a potion recipe for something I could only assume was rather horrible based on its contents. The good side though was that by now knowing what was needed, perhaps I could prevent the being behind these events from collecting all of the ingredients. If they did not have the proper makings, than the evil cake they wanted would never be baked. It was something even an apprentice would know.

Marva's laugh echoed once more around me as the grey men held her down. "I wonder how the great wizard Harry Dresden could have missed something so obvious?" The vampire said with a strong tone of suspicion in her voice. I was glad the grey men were still covering her eyes for I was certain she suspected I may not actually be who I claimed and want to test out that particular theory. Thankfully seeing through an illusion required the process of actually seeing. And after her laugh I was not about to give her that opportunity to expose me.

"By the terms of our agreement Marva I cannot kill you because you swore your oath." I said stepping a bit away so I did not have to look any longer at that deadly smile. "But that does not mean I have to let you go at this moment either." I informed her. "I never swore to do so, only to allow you're the opportunity to survive."

"Those creatures holding you down and the rest of them circled around you waiting to take their place if you succeed in dispatching any of them will all disappear at dawn just like all such spells." I explained. "Of course I understand that dawn is also a rather uncomfortable time for you as well. If you happen to survive remember that your oath requires you get out of town before midnight tonight or you will lose your powers." I turned and walked away not even looking over my shoulder as I headed for where Binder was still hiding behind one of the larger headstones.

"Get out of my town bitch!" I said at last.

"This is not over Dresden!" Marva called to me as I gathered up Binder and rushed him away leaving his grey men to continue to perform the last task he had demanded of them, that of keeping the Black Court vampire contained. They would do so unfailingly until the sun rose in a few hours. "Our paths will cross again wizard! You will die a most horrible death!" She called after me but I paid her no heed.

"Do you hear me Dresden?" She said as we headed almost out of range of her raspy voice. "You are dead! Harry Dresden is dead!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Life After Death **

**_Chapter 12_**

"Harry Dresden is dead."

This time the words came from Margaret Dresden and from within my mind so it was all the more impossible for me to ignore them. It also shocked me to realize that her tone was now more certain of that statement than it had seemed before; not completely willing to accept it yet to be sure, but the inflection I heard was definitely leaning more in that direction. And with that another slice of my own will to deny this possibility and hope instead that he would suddenly reappear in our lives seemed to be cut away from my heart. I said nothing in response to her words, satisfied instead to merely take that particular 'sling and arrow' in silence and defiance.

The spirit in my mind immediately felt this turmoil within me. "My dear I am sorry for the pain I caused you with those words but I merely meant them to say that perhaps we have been looking at this situation under the wrong light. In order to solve this mystery we seem to be immersed within perhaps we need to consider a different range of alternatives." Margaret said with sympathy in her voice though still obviously not understanding that the only thing keeping me from an emotional breakdown which would hardly serve any of us was _not_ considering this possibility.

I wanted to tell her that I understood, but the fact that even the spirit of his own mother seemed to be accepting the death of her son created too much emotion in me to let those particular words form. Instead there were just twin lines of tears that bubbled up from my eyes and flowed freely down my cheeks as my resistance began to crumble.

I was glad that I had dropped off Binder a few minutes earlier because not only would the tears have likely given away that I was not the real Harry Dresden, but I could not keep the magic of the illusion going wracked with such grief. The few drivers on the street who may have turned my way now saw a young woman in a Stetson and a leather duster driving the convertible Mustang through Chicago that evening.

"Molly, you must get a hold of yourself and listen to me!" Margaret's voice was louder than ever and more demanding than I ever had heard her before. I realized that she had been speaking other words up until this point and that I had defensively tuned them out in my current state. Wizards were not supposed to be so easily distracted that they failed to focus on other things around them, or in this case inside of them. And apprentices under the Doom of Damocles could not afford to let their emotions get the better of them and do something magically rash.

"I'm here Margaret." I thought in my head as I tried to pull myself back together from the emotional brink before I lost it and went over the edge. My world was tattered to be sure, but I'd be damned if I would fall apart before I got to the bottom of this mystery and solved it for Harry's sake if for no other reason. He would do it and therefore as his friend and apprentice, could I let his spirit expect any less from me where ever it was?

"I feel you coming back together Molly." Margaret said placing what amounted to a psychic arm around my shoulder to support me in our shared grief. "The time for grieving will come child but we have more important things at this moment that require your attention."

I sniffled and drew a deep breath to blow away the last of my grief for the moment before turning my attention fully back to the conversation. "I'm sorry Margaret, what were you saying?" I could feel her nodding her approval at my stand.

"I was saying that perhaps we have been looking at these events off kilter." She replied with a hint of hope. "We have been working off the assumption that the attack on Harry was to get him out of the way for whatever is taking place with your potion of blood components. But what if Harry is meant to be the result of these events, the final act of this mystery instead of the precursor?"

"I don't think I follow you." I said trying to wrap my mind around whatever the spirit was trying to convey.

"I am thinking over what we have learned so far and placing it into the greater context of the events taking place." She explained. "What did the last item on the list of potion components say exactly?" She asked me patiently but with a tone that it was important.

Normally I would have had to draw the scrap of paper out of my pocket to be able to read it, but instead Margaret made an image of the list appear in my mind so I did not need to do this. Yes another small part of my mind realized that if she could do this then she already had her answer and therefore the question was merely rhetoric but yet a third part of me also understood her purpose was to help put me back together by engaging me rather than just explaining. By getting me to focus on more immediate issues, such as solving this mystery, I would not lose myself in grief. I was lucky to have mamma Freud living with my mind now to keep me sane I guess. Of course wasn't hearing voices in your head sort of a sign of just the opposite?

Okay time to focus upon the task at hand. "And when all steps joined with the Blood of Vengeance, then the one who is dead will be restored." I said reading the bottom line of what I had copied down from The Archive. I focused on the words for only a moment as Margaret let me come to my own conclusions. It was not that I was particularly slow, she merely wanted to be ensured that I came to the same possible result so we could discuss this option rationally as she desired to.

"Are you suggesting that you think that Harry is the one meant to be restored from the dead?" I asked opening my mind to let it think that possibility through.

"It is hardly the only possibility, but I cannot find evidence that this option defies the facts that we have obtained so far." She said causing us both to think upon all that we knew was going on since Harry had been shot on the boat. I also knew that such thoughts of hope could easily be an emotional trap for the both of us because we wanted Harry to be alive. Harry had always told me to approach seeking all answers skeptically, especially those that are presented as exactly as what you wanted them to be.

"Okay, I grant you that solely from our limited facts that nothing disqualifies this as a possibility but let's think it through from beginning to end and see if the logic of this course of action still stands that test." I offered happy to have someone to keep me on track, even if just the disembodied spirit of my master and my first real love's mother trapped in my head because of a shared emotional experience of a soulgaze with both him and his brother. Yeah in New York even just thinking that required a year of three hundred dollar an hour shrink sessions. Thankfully Chicago was home to the Jerry Springer show so I merely had to wait for the taping of the 'I am possessed by the mother of my dead lover' episode and I could get this all off my chest in a way so much more entertaining to the general public.

"Don't be obstinate child it makes your hair turn grey before its time." Margaret politely scolded.

"I can always dye it." I said with an offhanded manner in response. "But let's focus on this possibility for a moment." I said turning my attention to the task at hand.

"I would suggest that we seek out a motive because if we nail that down a purpose for someone to do this then perhaps we can identify the one most likely to have this reason." Margaret Dresden replied like the lead actress on a CSI episode.

"Someone wants Harry dead so they can raise him like a zombie." I said offering the first and most obvious motive that came to me. "He certainly crossed paths with his share of necromancers so this is possible if it is meant as the ultimate act of vengeance against him by someone whose plans Harry thwarted." I explained.

"No Molly I do not think that is it." Margaret argued immediately and politely as she dismissed my option out of hand. "First of all necromancy for raising zombies does not take such elaborate components as your list requires, and even if it did I do not know how you would get a corpse to drink a potion to begin with."

"Pour it down their throat?" I offered thinking that to be the most obvious answer.

"Perhaps." She said with doubt that she was still not supportive of this particular idea. "But I think that based the wording of your list the goal is not a zombie. Your words say the potion will 'restore' the dead not 'raise' the dead." She countered.

"There is a significant difference?" I asked thinking that the two were synonymous but knowing that with magic the proper words were often very important to explaining the purpose behind a spell.

"They are quite different my dear." Margaret replied patiently to me. "Raised from the dead means the being's body returns to mobility with at best the spirit of the dead trapped somewhere inside the flesh yet mostly unable to exert his will. Most spirits called back do not like being so commanded and choose to go after the wizard that summoned them back if given the chance to do so which is why containing their will is so important." Margaret explained making me wonder how she had such knowledge of a supposedly forbidden subject. But then again my impression of her was a woman who sought out knowledge to better understand the world around her rather than someone who wanted to take it over.

"But Harry has fought necromancers backed by whole armies of zombies. They even battled through his wards and tore through his steel door once. How is it possible for someone to control that many minds?" I replied knowing this particular story. "Sure a strong person might dominate another's will, perhaps even a handful, but you cannot tell me that anyone has the strength to control an army of such beings." I said but even as the words came out of my mouth I thought that Binder could actually do just that. Was it possible that the otherwise dumpy looking hedge wizard was actually a super powerful necromancer and just hid this behind the foppish demeanor?

"No my dear, Binder is nothing more than he appears to be." Margaret responded reminding me in the process that she could sense what I was thinking even if it was not directed at her. "The spirits he calls forth have no actual will so he merely summons and orders them without facing any sort of resistance to his command. In fact since their 'deaths' do not actually harm them, merely send them back to the Nevernever, I would not be surprised if they look upon his commands like a trip to Disneyland."

"But your point is still well taken child. Necromancers use magical foci as a means to place a wall between yet still exert their will upon an 'army of zombies' such as Harry has encountered." The former Mrs. Dresden replied as she continued her explanation. "Usually this is done though musical instruments like a drum that plays a continual beat, serving the same purpose as a heartbeat in fact, to keep the zombies under control of the necromancer so that they do not turn on him."

"Well this is interesting but it takes us off target of why someone might be trying to kill and raise Harry." I scolded politely.

"Yes dear, but knowledge is never a wasted thing to obtain." She said smugly in response. She certainly sounded just like Harry at that moment much to my annoyance.

"Thank you Molly." She beamed as she read this thought and responded to that ato.

"It was not meant as a compliment." I replied in a deadpan thought. "So you don't think that this is all a necromancer who wants to raise Harry to be his personal foot cleaner or such?"

"No I do not. The spell is all wrong for that and this plan is far too complicated for such a relatively simple goal of just wanting revenge." She offered as an explanation.

"Then what do you think is being talked about if not this form of necromancy?" I asked the spirit within me.

"I was thinking instead of resurrection." Margaret replied calmly making me nearly jam upon my brakes in shock. Instead I pulled over to the curb and turned the car off so I could not be so dangerously distracted while driving. My auto insurance rates did not need that kind of increase.

"Are you kidding?" I asked with a sense of shock. "I thought that was deemed impossible."

"Well history records that it has happened once or twice before. I suspect you know something about that?" She said with a hint of humor since she knew that this real was the basis for all faith in the Church.

"Okay I will grant you that." I said conceding that particular point but certainly not the larger one. "But still it is hardly a common occurrence as far as magic goes. Those events were divine in power rather than merely a wizard's spell or potion." I still did not like to associate the miracles in the bible with the magic I had witnessed or performed myself. I know it was a weird way of looking at things based upon my chosen occupation, but it was how I balanced magic and faith.

"And even then isn't this kind of spell illegal?" I asked thinking that the Laws of Magic had to be against this if invading minds and raising the dead were illegal.

"Well yes the Fifth Law states "Thou Shall Not Reach Beyond the Borders of Life." Margaret quoted the text verbatim because all wizards were required to memorize these laws.

Normally this is considered the law that necromancers were punished under. It specifically denied magic wielders to summon, bind or exploit of the unwilling dead. For the record I myself asked Harry the obviously legal question of is there any such thing then as 'willing dead' where this law would not apply? By that I meant could I sign some sort of document saying I authorized a wizard to raise me up as a zombie just as I could will my body to be used for science or as a medical cadaver.

Harry simply said no, there were not any authorized caveats for humans, though animals were a gray area if the need was great enough for say a hundred million year old dinosaur.

But still that seemed to be reason enough to state that resurrection would not be looked upon positively for a human wizard and therefore according to Warden justice both the wizard responsible and the wizard resurrected would likely be put to death. With all the unwritten history I was learning about I made a mental not to look into any White Council, or whatever their precursor organization was called, connection to Jesus.

"But we both know that some people believe themselves to be above the law and therefore might choose to ignore the White Council's commandments if they felt they needed to." I said in response to Margaret's comment before she said it.

"Or perhaps it is one of the Senior White Council members themselves." She replied with hint of conspiracy theory. "I mean we already know that Wizard McCoy is allowed to violate the First Law of Magic that outlaws killing and it seems fairly likely that The Gatekeeper has some leeway to violate both the Sixth law on messing with the Currents of Time or the Seventh Law that deals with being from beyond the Outer Gates." She countered offering me examples that I had pondered upon myself.

"So let me get this straight. You propose that there is a member of the White Council authorized to violate the Fifth Law and is doing it to resurrect Harry?" I asked incredibly, but I had to admit the theory was not without some support based on these other facts.

"Certainly that is a possibility, albeit a very low likelihood one." She responded leaving us both thinking for a moment over that level of possibility and who the player behind the scene might be. Martha Liberty and Ancient Mai were the two females on the Senior Council so they seemed the most obvious, but neither was all that enamored of Harry which brought me back around to an undeniable conclusion.

"They have no reason to do such a thing." I said with a sense of near certainty. "Harry has been a concern to them for most of his life and with the exception of Ebenezer and perhaps The Gatekeeper, neither of whom is female, I do not see anyone going to the effort of restoring him to life if they actually had him killed." I said making my case. "What purpose would it serve to bring back a wizard who has caused them such angst?"

"That is the same question that stymies me Molly." Margaret said within my mind. "The means may exist, though I have no knowledge of such a spell, it was also not an area that I ever committed any time to research." She explained. "But still what would be the motive to kill Harry only then to restore him back to life?"

"I do not know either." I replied as I contemplated the possibilities. "It is not like anyone was going to collect upon his life insurance or anything." I had watched way too many episodes of Castle lately I guess since I was fairly certain that Harry did not actually have life insurance anyway. He usually lived paycheck to paycheck and therefore did not have the money for paying a policy premium like that.

"No I am sure such contracts require not only proof of death but also that the individual stay deceased before they willingly pay out any benefits." Margaret agreed. "The act of dying and returning would work far better as a means to end a marriage contract that had been sworn as 'til death do us part.'" She replied with a light laugh.

I started to laugh too but the word 'contract' suddenly bust into the forefront of my mind. Years ago Harry's godmother Leanansidhe, handmaiden of the Winter Court, had trapped Harry into promising to enslave himself to her in exchange for rescuing his friends who were badly endangered at the time. He eventually got around this by taking a rather slow acting poison and 'dying' for a moment thereby making the oath that existed between them null and void in the process.

Just days ago though Harry had made a similar arrangement to a being of even greater power, the Winter Queen Mab herself no less, to serve as her Winter Knight. Could all of this, Harry's apparent murder and now a magical resurrection spell, merely be another mad plan to circumvent a contract made to yet another powerful member of the Winter Court? Could Harry have conspired with another to violate the Laws of Magic and bring him back to life? Would he truly risk both the White Council's and Queen Mab's unforgiving wrath in this way?

"Oh god Harry NO!" It was Margaret Dresden's voice and not my own that screamed in worry at this particular notion that played out within my mind. Of course it did not help my own fragile emotional state any to hear her scream as well. "Molly are you sure of this? Did he truly make such a bargain and was it actually accepted?" She asked obviously unaware of this event but fully understanding of the repercussions of these actions.

"Um I heard his little friend Toot say that all of the Faeries had seen his um…acceptance…of Mab's offer. It had been rather explicit and out of this world in intensity from what I understand." I said internally blushing at how the little sprite had described it.

"The act of sex was merely Mab's means of binding Harry since we humans tend to put a greater value on that particular act than we do most others." Margaret explained which hardly helped my uncomfortable feelings I had thinking about this. "She desired him only because he denied her and if he were actually dead she would spend her next moment looking for his replacement and seeking revenge for this challenge to her authority rather than shedding tears for his death." She explained showing the true callowness of the aptly named Queen of Ice.

"So that is probably what she is doing right now." I said finishing that line of thought which supported my own. But I still went back to this underlying hypothesis. Had Harry manipulated events to get himself out of his contract to Mab?

"If he was so rash, the Queen of Air and Darkness will not find such a ploy amusing and while this might fulfill the terms of his agreement to serve her until his death, she will see his action instead as a mortal's insult and a challenge to her immortal power." Margaret explained reminding me that her own connection with the Winter Court was even more detailed than her son's and so then too was her knowledge of its history, politics and undercurrents. "She will make it her mission to humble him in such a way so that no one in either world could take strength from this example of his challenge to her power and try to cheat her in the future."

I thought of Lloyd Slate, the previous Winter Knight, who had betrayed Mab and sided with the Summer Lady Aurora against his own court. In response to this challenge and betrayal, Harry told me that Mab tortured him continuously in the most painful ways she could imagine; and that such immortal beings tended to have both long experience and fertile imaginations for such efforts. But Harry also explained that the queen would not allow her chosen knight to die no matter what she did to his body in order to both extend his torture and to place additional leverage upon Harry whom she wanted to serve in Lloyd Slate's stead. She had made this last point abundantly clear on multiple occasions saying that only Harry's acceptance of her offer would provide Lloyd Slate an end to his constant state of suffering.

In my relatively short career as an apprentice wizard I established a bit of a reputation so I was not unknown to the major personas of the Winter Court. In fact both Maeve and Leanansidhe had said that Queen Mab herself was becoming interested in me as well. When I heard it said to me, once in front of Harry no less, I had merely thought it to be another needling attempt to manipulate Harry into taking up the role of Winter Knight. But what if Mab were to offer me the job as a means to free Harry from his own suffering or revenge? Would I take up her offer to save Harry's soul? Could I possibly refuse with so much at stake? Did I even have the strength of character to resist her will as Harry did? I hoped he had made me strong enough to make the correct decision in that case.

"Do not even entertain such thoughts child." Margaret's voice cautioned. "Speaking such ideas aloud would reach the Queen's ears and if she has not considered this as of yet it serves your own interests no good to give her more to plot and contemplate over."

"But still could it really be possible that Harry caused his own death and now these magical events as an elaborate means to escape his bargain with Queen Mab?" I made sure only to think this question to Margaret and not to speak it aloud and therefore alert the Queen of this possibility.

"From all those facts we know I think it still unlikely dear, at least I hope it to be so for his sake most of all." She said with true concern of a mother. "But if I am wrong then I fear that our problems have just increased exponentially in both scope and danger." Of course I rationalized that natural increase was basically true pretty much anytime you had dealings with the Faerie Courts, trust me I learned this myself the hard way not so long ago.

"Perhaps if we truly knew if Harry was actually dead or not then we would be able to reason out if this was actually a possibility rather than get sidetracked with it." I said aloud filled with the frustration of not really definitively knowing what had happened to him.

"Of course that is the answer!" Margaret said with a mental slap of her forehead, which as a spirit possessing me was actually a slap of MY forehead but on the inside. Ouch!

"What?" I asked while actually rubbing my temple for the beginnings of a headache from the blow.

"Why don't we just ask Harry himself?" She said with a smile that looked a little crazy in my mind. Of course here I am parked in a car in the dead of night, all alone to those passing by and talking to a voice in my head so who was I to judge who was crazy.

"Um may because we assume he is dead and AT&T does not have a long distance rate for that area yet though I'm certain they are working on it." I replied and got a frown in response.

"Again child, Harry's sarcasm like his taste in fashion or fine cuisine really does not suit you." She said with her motherly disapproving tone. "But your point is well founded that you cannot merely pick up a telephone and call to see if he has checked in with Death. So what you need is to make a different type of call; perhaps one operator assisted."

"Huh?"

"Mortimer Lindquist." She replied with a name, a rather strange one at that, which I was not at all familiar with until she opened up that part of Harry's memories to me and the whole history of interaction with Harry was downloaded for me. Man if she could only do this with aikido like in The Matrix I would certainly be able to surprise Murphy on our next sparring match.

Mortimer Lindquist, according to Harry's now shared memories, was an actual medium or channeler for the spirits of the dead; sort of a Jennifer Love Hewitt in real life only guys would not regularly be tuning into his show hoping to catch him wearing only his sleepwear. But he was maybe Jennifer's actual height, meaning short, or perhaps just an inch or two more. That said though he was certainly double her weight at least and not because of muscle. As for sleepwear, Harry's siphoned memories showed me Mortimer wearing a faded maroon bathrobe with tufts of grey hairs sticking out of various holes in the garment. Maybe the SciFi channel would air a show about him but one scene of that and he could kill a network. Conservatives would be begging for Janet Jackson to be given a second chance!

Like Jennifer's character on television, Mortimer's ability to speak with ghosts was undeniable according to Harry. By the rules of the White Council Mort qualified as an ectomancer, a word I had never heard before but which I suddenly knew meant that he was skilled in calling forth beings that existed beyond the doors of death. The Wardens therefore kept a watchful eye on his operations so that he never stepped over the defined laws against necromancy but after thirty years of operations Mortimer Lindquist seemed to either be quite adept and staying inside these lines or even more skilled at hiding his transgressions.

I also learned that Mortimer had basically declared himself neutral in all wars and dark events that took place in this city that he considered his hometown. He had no desire to join the White Council when the offer was made, certainly a feeling I could sympathize with to some degree, and he also had no desire to be particularly helpful with them either as he saw this as a way of making their enemies his own.

It seemed that the only one Mortimer felt he had a duty to protect were the spirits of the dead with whom he communicated and shared an obvious affinity for. When Harry had been shocked to hear him say this Mortimer had merely replied that 'Just because they were dead did not mean they could not still be hurt.' Mort understood that Harry used his magic to help people and he respected Harry's decision to do so, but he did not feel, much to Harry's frustration, that he himself had any obligation to do the same. Thankfully, in every encounter with the ectomancer where his assistance had been necessary Harry had been able to weasel at least the minimal help or information out of him in order to save the day.

Knowing all of this now I saw that Margaret Dresden was right in her declaration. If Harry was dead then perhaps Mortimer could either talk to his spirit for us, or at least get his death confirmed by other spirits who were aware of his fate. If I was really lucky, according to Harry's shared memories of Mortimer, I might even be able to persuade Mortimer to request some information from the dead on who had set the fire last night and been the cause behind the explosion I had felt earlier as well.

I started the car and was happy to not only have a reasonable plan but also to know through more of these shared memories that Mortimer did not live far away from where I was at the moment. In fact he lived fairly close to the Graceland Cemetery which I guess given his profession did make sense in an odd and creepy sort of way. Talk about someone bringing their work home with them! Even so I was back on the road and smiling as I thought I might actually have some answers I needed in the next hour or so if I played my cards right. Playing it right would be the issue.

For being a professional medium, and therefore subject to the whims of an up and down economy when such events took place, Mortimer Lindquist had actually done pretty good for himself. He had moved out of a dilapidated apartment in the last few years and into a rather nice suburban duplex where he owned both units, using one side for business and the other for a home though his regular customers were not told that. It was a fairly upscale setup for someone in Chicago's magic community, especially when compared to the basement apartment Harry had rented and the nearly condemned office building he had worked from. Of course now both of those were rubble so Harry actually had even less.

As I drove through the nice middle class community that seemed to roll up its streets at night I had to pull over twice as twin waves of fire trucks, police cars, three ambulances, and even a city gas company vehicle all came racing by. Based upon my history and that cold feeling of ice in the pit of my stomach I do not need to tell you that I knew instantly this could hardly be a coincidence. And while I wanted to race in pursuit myself, Margaret reminded me that I could not afford to take any unnecessary chances of drawing additional attention to myself by being seen around a crime scene.

I turned off the road to Mortimer's house three blocks early and by this time the neighbors were all on the streets or house lights were burning as those newly awakened by the sirens wondered what was going on. I realized that I could not park on the streets because in this type of residential area everyone knew each others' cars and therefore mine would stand out as not supposed to be there. Thankfully when I reached the end of that block I could see a middle school a short distance away up the cul-de-sac and decided that at this time of night it was safe to park there if I kept my car out of sight in the back in one of the darkest patches.

The Harry Dresden outfit I wore would draw way too much attention here in suburbia in the middle of the night so I left it and the weapons behind in the car, taking only my wands which I could always claim were some sort of funky drumsticks if I was ever questioned about them. The hospital clothes that I wore underneath the duster were hardly any less obvious so I had to draw more magic to create a suitable illusion, jeans and a sweatshirt seemed unassuming enough to go unnoticed, before starting down the street where it seemed all the local people over the age of fifteen were still wandering about and wondering what caused the commotion.

When I tried like I normally did to draw in the magic though it came very slowly to me; much more slowly than it ever had for me before even when I was first learning of my powers. I wondered if I was somehow tapped out from all the illusions I had been maintaining all night but while I felt generally tired, I did not feel anywhere near that exhausted as I had in the past. But why then was it taking me so long to gather power when normally it took only seconds to accomplish this?

"The magic has been almost used up in this area Molly." Margaret's voice informed me as she experienced the effect that I was feeling through my senses including my magical ones.

"What? How is that possible?" I asked confused and in denial based on what I knew. "I would have felt if we had passed through a circle of power." Not to mention since I was driving my car which had iron-based steel in it that would have disrupted such a conjuring anyway.

"No the magic to this place has not been cut off from the world around us." She explained. "Instead it has been all used up, like all the water in a pond evaporating or a bottle of ketchup when french-fries are available. I can feel that it is slowly seeping back to refill this area, which is why you can still draw some power slowly to cast a spell, but it will likely be hours or longer until this place magically stabilizes once more."

"What the hell has the power that could do that?" I asked realizing I had been using that particular word a lot lately. Father Forthill was going to have a field day when he issued out my next penance after confession this Sunday. That is if I lived until Sunday.

"Obviously something that is incredibly powerful." She said with apparent awe as she too sensed the effect with unhidden wonder.

"Well duh!" I thought in response before I could stop myself and ended up drawing a little ire from Margaret's spirit in the process. "I meant how was it done?" I had a sudden revelation that answered my own question somewhat. "Oh of course, this is where the magical explosion originated from that we felt while at the cemetery." I suddenly understood the connection before the true gravity of that knowledge took hold.

"That certainly makes reasonable sense child at both how the magic has been dissipated from this location, as well as how we felt the edges of the spell's effect even miles away." Margaret agreed with the same sense of awed concern I had. You know having her agree with me about something so enormous was not at all comforting as one might think it to be. We continued to make our way to where the red and blue lights were flashing up ahead. I tried to focus on the remnants of the spell and what I could tell about it, its chemical fire residue was nearly a signature by now, and hopefully learn more about the caster than I presently knew.

"Molly veil now!" Margaret commanded and I did so without even thinking and thankfully just before two street racing motorcycles, one distinctively pure white, came blowing by me on the road and heading toward the police scene as well. I was glad Margaret was at least paying attention to what my ears were hearing even if I was not.

But of course the sudden appearance of Murphy and Thomas was going to complicate things. Neither Harry Dresden nor Molly Carpenter could afford to be seen here, but I could not just depart without at least trying to figure out what was going on.

I stayed under my veil and made my way to where my borrowed memories said that Mortimer's duplex had stood which was of course where all the emergency vehicles were gathered around. I used the past tense of those verbs because the house was no longer standing. Well actually the two outer side walls were still partially standing, but everything between them, two stories worth, appeared to be a crushed down into a pile of rubble as if some giant's foot had stomped upon it.

I was certain from the residual chemical like smell of the magic in the air that the spell I had sensed earlier who had been responsible for this destruction even though there was no sign of fire present. Oddly enough at first I thought there was also no damage to the nearby houses, but upon closer look I found examples of unique damage to just a few of those nearby.

For example at one residence about three houses away down the block the decorative wishing well that sat in the middle of a flower garden I noted was equally crushed, though there did not appear to be even a single petal damaged from any of the surrounding tulips. Across the street from Mortimer's former house the black cat shaped weathervane on the top of the neighbor's house was now a barely recognizable chunk of bent metal yet not a single shingle appeared so much as chipped of scorched. It was the oddest effect that I had ever seen magical damage take.

"That is because the spell that was cast here Molly only targeted magic." Margaret explained with an undisguised sense of wonder as she put the pieces together from what we saw. I have to say having this second seasoned mind able to figure some things out was worth the occasional awkward conversation. "Wishing wells and black cats both have magical connections so even though these were fake, the symbology of these items allowed the spell to affect them. This is why you felt the power in the graveyard yet no cars on the street crashed because their drivers had been equally jolted."

"You can use a spell to target only magic?" I said never having heard of such a thing.

"If you are powerful enough you can use magic to target almost anything that your mind can define." She cautioned causing me to pause to consider this, which was good because in my admiration mixed with terror at this new revelation I nearly bumped into Thomas who was wandering through the edges of the crowd trying to remain discrete. Yeah, for the record sex vampires dressed all in a tight, white leather motorcycle racing body suit with the zipper undone nearly to his navel and nothing underneath does not really work as discrete. Not that I was particularly complaining about the cheesecake delivery mind you!

I backed away having seen what I needed to of the house remains and spell and began to make my way toward the ambulances which is where I assumed I would likely find Mortimer if he were still alive or not. I stayed back though because Murphy seemed to have the same thought for a good observation point.

But since none of the EMTs seemed to be in a particular rush that seemed to indicate either the ectomancer was not here, not injured, or he was talking to spirits in a far more direct and one-on-one environment than he had likely expected to. I decided for confirmation sake to take the long way around a neighbor's house in order to get to a place where I could look into the ambulance to see if the last option was true. I thought it was a good thing Karrin was small so I'd be able to see over her even staked out as she was and into the back of the vehicle.

I was out of sight of everyone at the disaster scene and therefore a bit more relaxed than was probably good for me when 'she' stepped out from under the branches of a weeping willow tree looking straight at me as if my veil was not even there. I was so shocked by her cloaked and hooded appearance that I froze momentarily allowing her the opportunity to take the first move; something Harry told me never to let an enemy get.

"I am so glad to see you are not still sporting that ridiculous getup from last night." She said showing me that she had also obviously seen right through my illusions. Well Ms. Gard had done the same so I should not really be surprised that others with power could do so as well.

I made no hostile move but began to draw more magic to me while dropping the otherwise useless veil so not to waste any other power and split my concentration. "I did not know you were an expert in fashion since you seem to be stuck within the sixteenth century ninja look and all." I said in response. "Or are you just that ugly that your clothing choice qualifies more as a public service?" Yeah I know it's not smart to instigate a fight with a badass but she already had tried to kill me once so it's hardly like I expected us to be friends during this encounter. Therefore my next best option was to keep her emotionally off balance hoping she would make a mistake and insults tend to work well for that type of thing.

She merely shook her head and I felt her disdain for me. "You truly are pathetic. I had hoped that your earlier victories at the museum and against the Summer Court might have actually meant that you were more formidable than your street walker appearance seemed to indicate. Sadly now I see this is not so."

Did she actually just call me a whore? I blinked to myself and clenched my fists feeling my own nails dig in my skin. Some things a girl does not have to tolerate.

"Worse still you do not even have the intelligence to recognize your inadequacy and therefore surround yourself with capable friends for mutual protection as you did on the island of the Sirens." Wow this bitch had been watching me for some time, and closely as well which was rather disturbing to now find out since I had no clue of this.

"And even after I went through all the proper Accords protocols of informing you that I sought your life through the declaration of a Blood Feud you think you would show me a similar honor of taking this threat seriously." She degraded me further as if my actions were some sort of purposeful insult to her. "Surely you were not coming here expecting that the spirit talker would be of any use against me did you?" She asked with her tone of superiority. "If so I am saddened to inform you that I have him stashed safely away until I have collected all my other prizes."

"Lady, I don't want to ruin your whole I'm a PMS psycho bitch with an attitude thing you have going but other than the note that you sent me I really have no idea who you are or especially why you have this 'Blood Feud' issue with me." I said feeling a little more confident as I felt my internal magic gauge slowly increasing past the half full line and heading for being topped off and ready for a fight. That meant I could do some significant throwing down if the situation demanded it.

The woman's eyes flashed with fire. I mean they _really_ flashed with fire! Two little jets of flame shot perhaps three inches in my direction from her almond shaped orbs, which took on a reddish black hue thereafter. She stared at me with projecting ultimate rage, and the wave of pure hatred in her emotions was so strong that it nearly gave me a headache for its intensity.

"Not understanding why your death is required was merely insolent enough to require it to be painful, but purposely being ignorant is beyond impertinent and means your death is now required to be as drawn out and torturous as possible, perhaps by having your entrails slowly pulled from a slit in your stomach in order to slowly feed a red ant colony." Wow that was pretty damn disgusting and not a way I wanted to spend a weekend if I had the choice. And being a wizard meant I had a choice now that I was topping toward full on the magic meter.

"Eat this wench!" I said taking all the spell power that I had in me and focusing it through my hand to offer a blast of icy cold since I assumed she had a natural preference and affinity for fire. See all those games of Arcanus with Harry did offer valuable advice.

But before I could call the proper word and fire off the spell she waved her hand dismissively at me and released a wave of intense magic of her own that I was totally unprepared for which was even worse. I mean as a sensitive wizard I'm supposed to feel such power being called up, but either she did it incredibly fast in what was still a mostly magical empty zone which I do not think was possible, or she had one hell of a backup magic battery like my own chi to tap into when she needed it.

The result of her spell was my body was pushed down to the ground on my back beneath what felt like an invisible 747 parked on top of me. I could barely find the ability to breath and so had no chance to resist or heaven forbid counter the spell that she had literally dropped upon me. And just because my body barely found the air to breath did not mean I could form a coherent word beyond a whimper of tortured pain.

"At every turn you have revealed yourself to be a complete disappointment." She continued with her diatribe not even adding the mocking laugh of an evil emperor but instead saying these insults with as little emotion as she could offer but still filled with deadly intent. "You deprive me of any sense of honor in this revenge."

"Molly you have to find the will to resist." Margaret's voice called in my head urging me to fight back and defy the power my quite capable opponent arrayed against me.

"That…is…easier…said…" I tried thinking the words to answer Margaret but the weight was so much I strained to make even a coherent thought. Thankfully I still had the magic I called forth focused in my hand if I could find a way to focus and release it.

"At least last night you had the good manners to bring your little birdie friend with you." The veiled woman continued ignoring my struggles as she was so confident in her magic. "She was momentarily entertaining until I grew bored with her and decided to end that particular dance. She was cunning enough to flee though I suspect it will be many days before the little canary finds the means to fly again."

"Too…much…weight…" I gasped as a thought in my mind. An image of me on my back pressed down under a great cylinder on an open plain formed in my mind. As I pictured trying to get my hands and knees above my body to begin to push it backwards but I could find no strength to resist this force that weighed me down. Worse still the magic pushing me down felt like thick molasses or quicksand and where I began to resist merely seemed to seep deeper inside rather than back off.

"Do not try to move it all Molly." Margaret pleaded as she stood beside me watching but still unable to lend any assistance in my moment of need beyond her advice.

"I could destroy you now but there is no sport in that. Nor would I gain back the honor for me and mine." She said dismissively and turned her back upon me. "You have demonstrated that your type has no chance against our kind unless you fight from the shadows of dishonor. Only in that way could your type triumph. So to take away that victory so undeserved, understand that your death in the days to come will restore more than just our honor, it will restore our strength and make your previous victory hollow."

"Our kind?" I thought to myself through the haze of resisting her spell and then accepting through this worded acknowledgement that she was not merely a wizard, or at least did not consider herself to be what most would consider a wizard.

"Molly, focus!" Margaret said sharply with excitement drawing my full attention back to my current issue of being crushed mentally under my opponent's will. I tried to rally more strength from the world around me or anywhere but nothing significant came to my call.

"No Molly, _focus!_" Margaret said again and suddenly I understood what she was actually trying to tell me was not that my mind was merely drifting on other subjects.

I stopped fighting with my will against hers across the entire width of her spell and mentally trying to lift its power off of me as I had been trying to do and badly failing. Instead I drew all my will together and pictured it now as an representation in my mind of a needle thin point and released all my magic into that sliver of focus.

This needle punched through her own spell barrier like it was merely tissue paper and upon reaching through to the far side of the spell the magical weight upon me shattered and I was suddenly free. I was mentally exhausted by this effort, but I still scrambled to me feet, mostly just to show some element of defiance as my cloaked and hooded enemy turned to look in my direction and I could see her eyes smiling at my success.

"Mayhap you will provide some minor momentary level of entertainment after all." She said with a small nod at my success as if it still meant less than nothing and turned her back to me to leave again.

"Wait!" I gasped as an attempt at an order. Who knew a mental willpower strain could leave a person breathless too? "Answer a question for me first." I wheezed.

"What makes you think that I would accept that you have any bargaining weight with me?" She said with her back still to me so to show she could ignore me completely if she choose, but still not walking any further away as she waited for my answer.

Of course I ignored her question to me completely because frankly nothing came to mind that served as a suitable answer and I did not want her to use that as a reason to leave without hearing my inquiry. Instead I went straight to what was important to me like she had never asked anything of me. "Were you the one who had Harry killed in order to make way for all your plans?" I asked her back.

Her head slowly pivoted around so that one gleaming and still dark red eye could look my direction, so far that it seemed her turned neck was on the edge of being unnatural but that might have been an optical illusion created by the cloak and hood she wore. Her emotions were coldly calculating and momentarily intrigued.

"I will agree to answer your own inquiry if you answer a question for me first." She negotiated. Harry told me to avoid all such negotiated bargains with magical beings as even seemingly simple things can be considered binding. But I had to know and anything she might want to know about me, any vulnerability I might offer, would easily be worth this information since she already demonstrated how much more powerful she was.

"I agree." I merely said feeling the air charge with magic at the sealing of our pact.

"Did you love him?" She asked me straight forward without beating around the bush. You will note I avoided punning that she went straight to the heart of the matter. "Did you love him so much that you would hate me with the very essence of your immortal soul for stealing him for you?" She openly mocked me by adding a twinge of laughter which made the anger grow even hotter within me.

"Did you love him so much that you would you even willingly compromise every principle you have to seek revenge for his death?" She asked at last with chuckles but deadly serious undertone?

"YES!" I said through gritted teeth being honest not because of the binding of the agreement, but because I wanted her to know the extremes of what I would willingly do for him and the revenge that I would inflict upon her as well.

"Then yes I did." She said as if it were nothing at all. "Because of me, Harry Dresden is dead!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 13_**

"Harry Dresden is dead." She had admitted it aloud to me, nay proclaimed it even to the gods themselves, because she was the one who had him killed and felt unconcerned to admit it! As she walked away I knew that even in my rage I was totally drained for magic and that there was not another single thing I could do about her admission at the moment since I had left the backup guns I got from Marcone and Hendricks in the car. I was helpless, impotent, and as pissed off as I had ever been in my life.

It was getting late, well actually early, and it was time for me to head on back to the hospital and try and catch a few winks. I also had to decide on what my next plan of action would entail. So far I had been astonishingly unsuccessful in figuring out what was happening and therefore how best to try and stop it. In fact I realized now that I could, make that should, be dead at this moment if this mysterious woman even had enough respect to consider me a threat. Sort of sucks to know you don't rate high enough for such consideration. But hell, I seem to make a decent living off of being underestimated like this so let's see if I could pull that trick off again.

I wish I had more than just Margaret to talk to and bounce ideas off of but as long as I had to keep Harry alive in the minds of Chicago I did not see that happening. I never realized how lonely being all alone really was when you really needed your friends.

As I drove back to the hospital partially watching out for racing motorcycles I came up with another option but did not know if I had the ability to pull it off. So when in doubt I figured calling upon Margaret's spirit to help me think this through would be a good idea. I mean if you have a spirit with tons of knowledge at your disposal why not use it to your advantage? Heck maybe this gave me nearly as much, or even more knowledge, than Harry had access to. In these times I usually caught him talking to some old skull down in the subbasement that he named Bob but who never answered him. In contrast I would have a former powerful wizard from my own discipline to lean on when I needed magical insight. I really think of the two of us I got the much better deal in this.

"Alright Margaret wake up." I thought in my head and then wondered if spirits actually have the need to rest or not.

"We do in fact, especially if we have exerted a significant amount of psychic energy trying to assist some young and foolish yet still living wizards against rather dangerous opponents who wish to dominate their will or to counter rather massive spells meant to destroy them." She said with a sense of actual fatigue in her disembodied voice. I would make this discussion quick so she could get back to whatever form of resting she required because if what I thought might be required I would need her alert and knowledgeable assistance in a few hours or so.

"Speaking of psychic energy, what do you know about psychic bonds between people?" I asked knowing that Harry had told me he and Elaine Mallory had established a limited version of this between themselves as kids and that this bond still existed for them more than two decades later.

"They are sort of a magical extension of the natural bonds that emotionally link two people." She explained in a tired teaching tone. "In fact if the natural bond is strong enough, like the ones shared between twins or rarely those shared by soul mate lovers, then magic enhancement is not even required. The psychic bond that exists between them allows one of the two to a limited degree feel what the other is feeling or experiencing even if they are separated by vast miles."

"So there no real maximum range for this?" I asked. "And what about if one is say in the Nevernever and the other here in the mortal world?" I clarified more to aim the question more directly at what I thought I needed to know.

"There is a range limitation and that is based upon the level of emotional bond the two share much like the skills and natural talents of magicians limits the distance of their spells." Margaret responded. "Twins tend to most naturally share the strongest bonds and in some cases have been reported where one sensed the other's death even though they were continents away. I am not sure how effective this would be in crossing over through the Nevernever though. That particular barrier tends to mess with magic and even time to some degree though if this were mostly emotional based rather than magically enhanced then perhaps the psychic link would have the strength to cross back and forth with no effect."

"So correct me if I am wrong but from what you tell me it therefore stands to reason that if one or both of the parties were more naturally inclined to this emotional realm, say like being sensitive wizards, that should probably enhance the power of this kind of spell or effect." I asked moving now toward the very heart of the subject.

"It certainly would." She said and then paused. "But Molly if you are thinking of trying to call up Harry's spirit through a psychic link I would strongly advise you against that course of action. You never had such a bond demonstrated when you he was alive and sending out an emotional 'call me' signal into the realm of the dead is not something you want to try as a lark. There are way too many things out there, like the fetch that nearly killed you, that love to intercept such calls. I could relate to you many stories of dark spirits crossing over by pretending to be a deceased loved one in order to wreak havoc on those emotionally weakened and in mourning."

See this is why it was so cool to have a spirit filled with knowledge at your more or less immediate disposal. I wondered what type of dating advice she would be able to provide?

"While an interesting idea, that is not what I was thinking of doing Margaret." I said opening up my still developing thoughts to her and seeing what she thought of my initial plan. As expected, her first reaction was motherly concern, but as she speculated over the possibilities more and more and offered protections and measures I should consider for my safety she came around to accepting the concept providing I let her play her part of wise advisor. Since I figured I would most likely need her timely and useful knowledge there was no way I was going to say no.

I made it back to my hospital room without incident, in fact it was almost getting too easy and I therefore had to make sure to focus and not leave any details unattended to. I left the weapons and Harry's getup in the trunk of my car instead of bringing them back into the hospital with me. It was a slightly safer place and made even more so by my adding an extra locking spell that would not keep out a determined investigator with a pry bar, but would at least stop any casual attempt at snooping.

Once back in my bed I tried to get comfortable and then turn my mind solely to the idea that I wanted to attempt. Margaret had explained how the bonds of love could be used psychically to bind two individuals, but I was pretty certain that the flipside of that particular coin, hatred, would work every bit as well also. And since the cloaked woman in question seemed to have that emotion in abundance with me, perhaps that odd dream I had the other night was in reality the creation of a psychic bond between us when she invited me into the odd desert hotel. And if she had indeed established that bond as I suspected then I should be able to use it to return on my schedule to where she was hiding, and perhaps without her even noticing. At least that is what Margaret and I assumed was possible.

My meditation instructor Hisha had taught me to empty my mind of all thoughts and emotions when seeking the state of inner peace in order to let the spirit fly free. I had tried to reach this condition when distracted by other things or even in my grief and found that such states sidetracked me from reaching the necessary state of harmony. But now I had determination as an ally to my efforts.

This time I had the advantage that I could push away all my earthly concerns as Hisha had taught me to do, but instead of wandering aimlessly as a free spirit, Margaret's was there as well to point me toward the feelings of discord or dark emotions that flowed toward me from others like strands of a web. There were more of these than just one, not thousands thankfully, but certainly not just a few. In my mind I saw them as black lines and if I reached out to just about touch them, I could sense the being from which they originated. This would be helpful to filter them down to the one I needed.

The first I happened to almost touch came from The Merlin, leader of the White Council. It was not pure hatred but rather a sense of increased concern and annoyance for I represented a threat to his power. He also saw me as a potential wildcard to the state of law and order that he tried to establish in the White Council because I was much like Harry in that regard, doing what was right before worrying about what was politically correct or expedient.

Other smaller lines of darkness included slight feelings of jealousy aimed in my direction, some from friends, some from acquaintances, and some from people I did not even know. I knew I could discard all these small lines without missing my real goal.

I chose instead to focus upon the darkest line of power I could find, one that almost throbbed with stomach rolling rage and loathing. It also had that distinctive chemical magic scent to it that I knew immediately linked it to the cloaked woman. I reached my mind to focus fully upon it and was carried away on its power as if the line were a highway or a metro rail.

I was soon standing in the same corridor where the last dream had left me a day before. The difference now was this time the building looked not so much like the lobby of a hotel, but rather some stark and worn concrete structure made from cinderblocks and steel. I guess the illusions that my hostess had laid out before my arrival last time were no longer in place, though I could feel their tattered remains due to my sensitivity to magic and by getting use to the smell of her spells.

Speaking of illusions, since she was big into such things, and it appears I had arrived unnoticed, I chose to follow suit and therefore mentally commanded my strongest veil to cover my psychic self before I proceeded. Please do not ask me to explain how a spiritual image casts spells in a dreamlike state. That was likely going to be on my White Council final and while I had no problem doing it, just like breathing, I had no way of explaining just how I did it. I did not know if the veil would work any better here than it had in the real world but it did not hurt to take these kinds of precautions since I was dealing with someone way out of my class magically.

Now done with my defenses I took a moment to better assess my situation and noted that the dark web line of psychic power tied to me was also still floating before me and that it headed deeper down the hallway and into this building. I figured it must be connected to the lady in question that so wanted to kill me, so it seemed like following it was probably the best course of action if I wanted to get an answers on just what she was up to. I headed deeper inside with cautious steps and began to sense that the building itself around me was saturated with dark emotions.

In a normal house, families and love and genuinely care for each other create invisible thresholds that serve as a basic ward against magic unless the wizard or other dark being is invited into the home. This is because that love that passes from one to the other also seeps into the walls of the building as well. Hotels and commercial building on the other hand tend not to have these, or at least not much of them because the occupants tend to be transitory, their level of caring less in most cases, and therefore there is no actual build up of emotions like in a home.

But whatever the building was that I was in right now felt like it carried whatever the opposite of a threshold would be, almost like a well of evil I decided to call it, for the very walls reeked with acts of violence and vice, pain and suffering, even malevolence and death. Whereas a threshold might drain away my powers, this well of darkness made me nauseous except for those darker aspects of my spirit that seemed to revel in the feeling and want to come forth and more fully experience it. Normal people without magic would undoubtedly feel hesitant or queasy to be in this facility, but to a sensitive wizard like me who wanted to do good, the effect was nearly overpowering.

Being here in spirit form perhaps also gave me a different type of insight to the place almost like an odd form of wizard sight. While the walls appeared solid if one stared upon them directly, from out of the corner of the eye they seemed to swell and shift. But if I turned to look at where my mind said this was taking place nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The more I tried not to think of this effect, the worse the movements in my peripheral vision got. It was almost as if the walls themselves were trying to drive me slowly mad like it had to others before me.

"Do you see and feel this as well Margaret?" I asked her silently in my mind. It was not so much that I really wanted her opinion on this peculiar effect but rather I just wanted to not feel so alone and vulnerable as I did at that very moment.

"I do indeed child." She said trying to offer mental comfort and bracing me against this emotional onslaught. "Rarely have I ever experienced anything like this before and then it was always when dealing with darker powers such as the Daemon Fae. I can only speculate that the mind behind all this is…" Her speech faded off as she searched for the appropriate term.

"Twisted. Definitely twisted." I offered as my explanation of what I felt and sensed her nod in acceptance that this was indeed the correct term for what we both were experiencing. Thankfully I could see light at the end of the tunnel and hurried my pace.

The light did not seem as bright and healing as the sun would be, but was instead a sickly flickering like that of smoldering torches and candles. But compared to the corridor I was walking through where there were no light sources at all it seemed a definite improvement. I stepped from the hallway and into a grand open air courtyard and saw that the binding line of darkness beside me led not as expected to the woman who wanted me dead, but to something far different.

It was a car of all things. And not just a simple, average, everyday car but instead a fairly top of the line silver Mercedes. The dark line of emotional and hatred led right to the car, not through it or over it, and ended upon the three pointed star hood ornament that rose up in front.

"A car? A car hates me?" I asked confused as I walked forward to try and figure out and make sense of just what I was seeing.

"You know Molly, many people believe you can judge a person by the enemies they make." Margaret said with a sense of undisguised awe. "If that is true then in your case you must be truly high class to have such an enemy as this!" She said with a bit of a chuckle to relieve the tension of the moment and help me relax to better understand what I was seeing.

"Great so now along with everything else I need to start worrying about Christine too?" For the record a book and a movie about a killer car seemed a bit farfetched even if I did learn that the story was originally based upon the car the Archduke Francis Ferdinand was in when he was assassinated. That all being said, I did still not understand what I was seeing here and why it was linked to me.

"This has to be a seventy thousand dollar car at least." Margaret said continuing to gush over it. Who would have thought that Harry's mother, the mother of the guy who thought a sixties Volkswagen Beetle was the pinnacle of driving class, would be such a gear head. And she had married a stage magician who would never have been able to afford a car like this unless he was headlining in Vegas!

"You know with such a nice, expensive car, I wonder why the owner never had that huge dent in the hood of the car fixed?" She asked waking me out of my own recollections.

"What did you just say?" I asked suddenly putting pieces together in my mind as I looked closer.

"It's right there." She turned my eyes to see the impacted dent on the hood. "I mean it looks like someone dropped a one ton weight right on top of the hood ornament or something." She said disapprovingly of the damage this did to the car.

"Hey I don't weight anything like that much!" I replied defensively now fully understanding what was going on here and getting more than a little peeved by it as well. I mean it was one thing to have such a vivid reminder of one of the worst days of my life placed on obvious display, but it was another to have additional insults heaped upon me even if they were by an uninformed spirit who was just being observant.

"What did you just say?" Margaret asked the exact same question just like it was her turn to read the script and even used just about the exact same inflection that I had. I knew that I had to explain it to her so I could get her take on the magic aspects.

"My brother Daniel once picked me up and body slammed me down onto this hood, and specifically this hood ornament in fact." I said in nearly a whisper in my mind so that I would not reopen all those old wounds again as they were still painful to me.

Daniel had not really intended to specifically hurt me but rather it was a result of a long repressed impotent rage that he had been nursing from an even earlier incident where I had unintentionally nearly gotten him killed. The body slam occurred only because I kept pushing him for an answer of why he was avoiding me when he was already mad rather than letting him cool down and tell me when he was ready. I won't say the attack hurt Daniel worse emotionally than it did to me physically but they were probably pretty close in measurement. I replayed the vivid scene in my mind so Margaret would understand the event completely.

To be fair to him I also showed her the later images of Daniel fighting beside me and helping to trap the Summer Court Handmaiden Abagalesidhe to stop her from taking the Faerie Courts to war. This connection to those events made me wonder if perhaps Abagalesidhe was the one hiding behind the cloak and hood and trying to destroy me. While last time I faced her she had relied mostly upon lightning as her weapon of choice if a Faerie was wanting to hide her identity she would certainly have access to other forms of magic to assist with this.

The Handmaiden of the Summer Court also certainly had all the necessary motivations for wanting to see me dead. I had left her in that state acturally, barring the fact that she could not actually die. And after perhaps the Summer Queen, Summer Lady, and Summer Knight, Abagalesidhe had access to the most power of any member of that court which was fairly substantive. It was therefore certainly possible that she had the magic at her disposal necessary to destroy the buildings that I had seen demolished from within or without.

One lingering thought though brought my speculations up short. The cloaked woman said she was the one who had sent me the note announcing the blood feud that existed between us. As that document had arrived soon after my friends and I had trapped Abagalesidhe in such a way as to drain her power and keep her contained for what we expected to be a long time, I did not think it was possible for the Handmaiden to have freed herself and then sent the letter. Nor was it likely that anyone else would have done so either on her behalf while she recovered. And of course being a goddess of lightning, it is not like long term plotting to kill a mortal was her weapon of choice; not when she could merely blast me with a bolt of lightning as I was walking down the street and unprepared for it.

The display before me then confused me as to its purpose. If it was not tied to those events, what was the purpose of having this car here except to serve as some ghastly trophy of this woman's hatred for me? In that case she is talking about Elvis impersonator levels of obsession!

"No it is an emotional anchor for her magic spell." Margaret explained and once more used terms that Harry had never mentioned in his lessons. Of course Harry not being a sensitive wizard, and of course also being a guy, was probably double the necessary number of reasons why he would be unaware of any spell focus not tied to lust or blowing things up. Men…they really prove Darwin wrong about species being able to evolve.

"Must I ask?" I requested with just a hint of sarcasm.

"That is only required if you wish to honor the rules of good decorum my dear." She replied with a touch of snide in her response reminding me she was the previous bad girl thorn who got under The Merlin's skirts before I took up that role.

"Why should I start now?" I laughed.

"Good point." She agreed with a smile as well.

"An emotional anchor is in a way a focus for a very specific type of sensitive magic spell, much as Harry's blasting rod is primarily for fire-related spells." She explained to me. "Traditionally in many older cultures this is used more with love-related spells to creating bindings between two hearts that wish to be joined." She paused to see if perhaps I would catch on to what she was hinting at. Why is it that everyone without the title of apprentice feels the need to quiz my ability to infer meanings from their lessons as a form of personal entertainment?

"You mean like wedding rings?" I asked catching on of course to what she was trying to lead me to. Really, it is not like the words 'with these rings let their hearts be joined' was difficult to decipher that they originally had a spiritual and magical connotation.

"Exactly." She mentally nodded in approval before returning to the subject at hand and how this was relevant. "But just like a marriage ceremony is filled with bonds of true and everlasting love…"

"Boy do YOU live in the Nevernever…" I thought to myself then realized that in the middle of a conversation with a possessing spirit there really is no 'to myself' anymore. She cocked a mental eyebrow at me but did not stop her prepared speech.

"…other events that are equally highly emotionally charged can likewise be used for similar purposes aligned to that emotion." She explained which led to the Mercedes sitting in front of me.

That of course made perfect sense. Daniel had tossed me onto the hood of the car in a fit of rage and probably true hatred in that moment if I cared to admit it. Being that he was also my brother, someone who was supposed to love me, I suspected that the emotional power of that act was that much more intense and magically that much more powerful. And so as a tool to be used by a being who also already hated me, it was in truth the perfect physical anchor for an emotional spell in order to keep track of me as the cloaked woman had obviously been doing.

"I wonder…" My next question was broken off by the distinctive sound of a gong ringing loudly from somewhere nearby. Yeah of all the sounds I might have expected to hear, the sounds of a gong were not among them so I lost my train of thought.

I took this distraction as a moment to make sure my veil was up and powered just in case and waited to see what, if anything, the sound had portended. While my experience with gongs was limited, they were almost always portends of things to come.

Luckily or unluckily I did not have long to wait to get that answer. From the far side of the courtyard the big steel reinforced doors that I had only casually noticed earlier opened and a half score of men emerged in two separate groups of five, the second a minute or so after the other.

The first group walked with four of their members surrounding the fifth, just outside of normal arm's reach. I am not sure which situation was more of a shock, that the man in the middle of the group appeared to be a terribly haggard and distressed Gentleman Johnny Marcone, who tailored two thousand dollar suit still smoldered and smelled at this distance like smoke, or that the four men surrounding him were exact duplicates of each other and showed no signs of emotion.

Not surprisingly the second group of four guards was similarly organized around an equally distraught Mortimer Lindquist and the quartet surrounding him was not only individual identical to each other as well but they were also a spitting image for the first four. And most disturbing was that the eight all looked exactly like golems I had fought years before as well. 'Holy crap, just how long had this bitch been stalking me?' I thought to my myself but of course Margaret heard this as well.

"Well they are rather pretty…" She said with obvious approval. "…pretty boys." Her words faded off for a moment as she looked upon the golems with a wizard eye of approval the way a jeweler might look upon a stone set in a necklace and comment upon its quality as well. "It seems our mystery woman has a lot of cute friends to play with in case she gets bored."

"Yeah, we need to keep in mind that these 'friends' of hers can be rather difficult to destroy so do not get distracted by their charming appearance and allow them to jam one of their fists down your throat." I said in response. "Trust me, I saw it was a rather horrible way to die."

"You know for a girl your age you certainly have a rather unnatural accumulation of rather disquieting experiences." She said seeing in my memories a few bodies that had been killed just the way that I had described to her. Yeah these were things I would have been happy not to experience firsthand.

But as disturbing as those particular images were, my eyes could not help but wander back to both Marcone and to Mortimer Lindquist, who had aged some and also put a few more pounds around his middle than Harry's memories shared by Margaret had pictured him. There was something in the pair's eyes, actually more like something missing from their eyes, that made me feel all the more nervous on a real subliminal level by what I was observing.

The head of Chicago's underworld and a recognized Freehold Baron under the Unseelie Accords, a term that meant his powerbase was recognized by other signatories even if his kingdom legally belonged to another, seemed anything but the powerful and confident man I had seen just days ago. I have never actually been in a war or serious combat of that sort, but the term shell shocked seemed oddly appropriate for describing his state of mind at this moment.

When his four guards stopped and spread out further to give their charge more room, Marcone made no attempt to escape even though he likely could do so rather easily. Across the way Mortimer was given the same opportunity and he too stood passively as if awaiting a command like a good golden retriever. But unless the golems were different from the ones I had faced myself a few years ago, speech was not something they were capable of so the command would need a different source.

The gong rang a second time and once more the doors to the courtyard opened again and this time the cloaked woman walked forth with two more identical golems a step or two behind serving as her personal attendants. But standing right beside her was Captain Smith, the very Captain Smith of Titanic fame, or would that be infamy? Like so much else in this odd trip down memory lane I immediately knew that he too was not actually the real captain, but instead merely an image of what Greek Mythology had named Charon, or others had later called Thanatos. Today we merely think of this being as the Specter of Death. I had met him before as well when facing off against Abagalesidhe so was not shocked at his appearance.

As the cloaked woman entered the courtyard, and did not immediately notice me thanks to my veil even though I was standing in the open with nowhere to hide, she did stop and looked from Mortimer to Johnny Marcone drawing Captain Smith's attention to the pair as well. "You may begin." She said to the two of them; her words soft and polite, yet with the steel undertone of a nearly divine commandment entwined with an overwhelming sense of superiority that I had felt as well.

At her command the golems did nothing but continue to stare straight ahead, however both Mortimer and Marcone began to sway and then to dance in some odd motion, like snakes charmed and by some Indian Swami and on display for tourists. Of course Mortimer was anything but graceful as he took fully to the compulsion driven no doubt by some form of mind control magic. Obviously Ms. Hood and Cloak did not let little things like the Laws of Magic against dominating another's will constrain her amusement level. You would think that if she had been following me around for all this time she would have seen this was something the White Council frowned upon.

Marcone on the other hand was far more nimble, but while his body seemed to move gracefully, he was also subjects to fits and starts that I could tell was his underlying willpower trying to exert itself and break the dominating control that he was under. Being closer to him I could also barely hear that he was mumbling something under his breath over and over again, almost like a mantra chant. I moved silently closer hoping that it might reveal something important to me because that is what always happens in the movies! I purposely skipped over focusing on the act that the snoop usually got caught by the villain when performing this action..

"Must remember who I am…" He said obviously straining to control his mind. "Must remember who I am…"

While the words were not particularly fearful in nature I must admit hearing him repeat them over and over and thereby understanding just how forcefully and completely she had broken his mind. This revelation did not leave me feeling any better for my own chances in facing off against her.

Marcone had pretty much risen up to the pinnacle of crime on will and determination alone, where the slightest slip or sign of weakness would have left him dead. Now here he was little more that a living marionette, dancing on invisible strings for the entertainment of one rather evil woman with a serious case of revenge on her mind. All and all this was not looking good for your cute and perky wizard apprentice.

"Aaagggghhh!" Mortimer screamed and held his hands to his head as his body continued to dance around. Neither the golems nor Marcone's attention seemed to notice but my eyes along with Captain Smith's and the Cloak One's were drawn to this display.

"Must forget…" Mortimer screamed to no one but himself, beating on his head with his knuckles in the process. "Must forget…" Yeah that visual just cranked my whole impending doom meter up another notch.

"Entertaining I admit, but until you collect each of the necessary components all you truly have is this degrading display to serve as entertainment. It brings you no closer to paying the price with your toast." Captain Smith said to the cloaked woman.

"I will pay your price." She said to him in response. "And when you have your 'wine' I assume you will honor your side of the bargain and release him back to me from the dead?" Wow, now THAT was certainly a little tidbit of information that caught my full attention. I knew it was dangerous but I had to get closer to the pair of them so that I would not miss any other important details that they might let slip along the way. I just hoped my veil was up for this type of challenge.

"Yes, I will bend those rules if you provide me my 'wine' as you so readily call it." He said with a smile that only Death could wear. "It has been forty-two years since I sipped that particular vintage and I must admit that I look forward to doing so again. As you well understand, it is not something I can keep in a wine cellar and get back to at my convenience even if I had the time to put my work aside."

"Let me be clear. I want him returned to me immediately after our bargain is fulfilled. Death shall not hold sway over…" She began to name someone and then I felt my whole body shake and shudder momentarily missing what was said after.

"Molly?" A distant voice seemed to be calling to me but I tried to block it out and focus on what was being said.

The cloaked woman continued to speak. "This city will tremble at the return of…"

I shook again and lost my concentration once more. Worse still I felt myself drifting away from this place and though I fought against it, the shaking made it impossible to deny the call. No matter what I desired some other voice was calling to me from far away. And of course they had to wake me up practically in the middle of the night, okay well what served as my middle of the night at least, just to hear them say…

"Molly?" I groggily swatted at the hands that were shaking me back to consciousness. "Come on Molly wake up." The voice was both far too cheerful and far too persistent to ignore which just made it all that much more annoying to face coming out of a dead sleep. And trust me I was not one of those people who liked being woken up when I still wanted to sleep.

"Leave me alone!" I said trying to roll over and pull my pillow over my head and return to the state of blissful unconsciousness.

Suddenly the pillow was gone from around my head, ripped right out from my hands no less, forcing me to open one eye that looked at the towering mass of muscle standing beside my bed and recognize it as my brother Daniel only an instant before he clobbered me with my own recently stolen pillow. "Come on sleepy head, mom told me make sure you were awake while she parked the van and brought dad up here. We only have a little time to visit before we have to leave and they do not want you wasting it by sleeping since you spend all day in bed already anyway."

I looked at the clock and calculated in my head that I had gotten just over two hours of sleep at most and I'm sorry, but looking as good as I do takes rest, eight hours of which at least! But it was not like I could explain how I was spending my nights or anything else and the sense of excitement that underlay Daniel's words made me certain something was going on that I needed to mentally focus on if I could clear my mind. And since he was happy, not screaming, and especially not being chased by a ten foot spider, I figured it likely was good news of some sort and I could really use the emotional uplift as a balance to knowing someone else wanted to kill me.

"So what's up?" I asked as I rolled over onto my pillow and partially sat up, happy to know that when he was in this state Daniel usually could not keep a secret.

"Oh just Dad and I have to go to St. Louis to help restore an old church. It will probably take us a week or so to do the entire job but the pay looks good." He said with a far greater sense of happiness than almost anyone I knew had when talking about work. My dad was an excellent carpenter, and Daniel had proven to have an equal level of skill with metals so between the two there were few construction projects the two could join forces on and not exceed any preconceived standards.

"What is so special about…" I said before my brain woke up fully to what he was actually saying. "Wait a minute, did you say you were going to St. Louis?" I asked to make sure I had that part right.

"Yeah, Father Forthill got a call from a local priest down there asking if he knew any reasonable priced general contractors who also had the necessary respect to work on a holy building. Of course he immediately mentioned both dad and I." Daniel said with just way too much satisfaction, and I knew at once that this had absolutely nothing to do with the inherent compliments in that referral.

"And this local priest did not happen to get this suggestion from a certain wizard did he?" I asked and the smile on Daniel's face grew so wide that his face nearly disappeared.

"Maybe…" He said with a tone that was just too satisfying so that it was really annoying!

"Daniel, Elaine is way too old for…" His raised eyebrow as a possible hypocrisy detector stopped my comment short. Since our little joint brother and sister adventure stopping a war between the Faerie Courts, Daniel and Harry's first love Elaine Mallory had been writing each other fairly regularly. If she had not been a wizard and therefore prone to shorting out electronics I am certain our family's long distance telephone bill would have skyrocketed over the past year or so.

In a way I understood the potential for attraction between them. Both Daniel and Elaine had been put through rather traumatic events at the hands of magic and this had left them severely damaged inside. But through working with me, both of them had found in the other someone who could actually understand and empathize the pain they had themselves gone through.

As far as I knew there was nothing physical that had yet taken place between them but since they had basically bared their souls to each other I would not make that beyond the realm of possibility either. In fact I was tempted to have Father Forthill provide a quick reminder that premarital sex was a sin, but the way my luck runs Daniel would use that as an excuse to propose to Elaine then and I'd have to accept her as my sister-in-law and deal with her at summer picnics and such for the rest of my life. Please remember that wizards tend to have rather long lives.

Don't get me wrong, I did not dislike Elaine. Okay that is not completely true, I did sort of dislike her mostly for the pain she had put Harry through when pretending to be dead, and when she had not supported him like she should have, and of course a twinge of jealousy that he considered her his first love. But even putting all that aside, Elaine was just wrong for my brother and he completely refused to see it. And while it may be socially acceptable these days to be a cougar's play toy, the age thing did bother me, regardless of the fact that the difference between the two of them was almost the exact same number of years as what separated Harry and me. Yeah, that might make me a hypocrite in his eyes but hey I never said I was perfect either. Unfortunately Daniel knew how I felt about Harry so he had no problem calling me on this when I raised the age issue.

"uuuummm… too old to be looking for a casual relationship." I tried to cover my hypocrisy but was fooling neither of us in the process. "I mean soon she will beyond child bearing age so she really needs to spend the limited time she has left on her downhill slope focused on finding someone willing to settle for her knowing all these flaws exist." Yeah all of that was cheap, low shots but what the hell did I have to lose?

To my surprise what I said actually seemed to sober Daniel up somewhat. His smile pulled back a bit as he considered what I said before taking a more calm and rational tone. "Wow, I had not even considered that Molly." He said pondering. "Thank you for your insight. I might have inadvertently made a wrong choice looking just to have a little fun."

"Think nothing of it kid." I said happy that I had injected some sanity into his world, but hey what were big sisters for? And thankfully we got this out before Mom and Dad made it to the room. I could hear the distinctive hard clomp of my mother's hard heeled and practical shoes stomping down the hall toward my room.

"I guess Elaine and I will just have to name our first girl after her aunt Molly." He said with a smile and turned and headed out the door just as mom and dad reached it and I was trapped there sputtering for a reply. I was pretty sure that he was kidding, okay mostly sure, but I still did not want him getting this last word. However, it was not like I was going to keep this particular conversation going in front of my mother. I made that particular political calculation and it was nowhere near a winning situation.

"I will wait for you down in the van." Daniel said to our parents, giving my mom a kiss on the cheek like a good son was supposed to and she beamed in response until he was out the door and her focus turned fully on me. Why I have been cast as the straight man in a world full of slapstick comedians I will never understand.

"Molly give your father a hug, he will be leaving for St. Louis in a few hours." My mother Charity Carpenter ordered without looking right at me. She was focused primarily on keeping track of my youngest brother Harry Junior who was wrapped around her leg and peeking out at me in a little game that we always seemed to play until he finally gave in by breaking out into a smile and running over to give me a hug.

My dad, although a former Knight of the Cross, was wise enough to pick his battles and therefore chose not to challenge my mother's direction or timeline and seeing that I was still laid up in bed, came to my bedside instead of me trying to find a way to my feet. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear. "Take care of things for me Princess." He said to me the exact same way he had spoken those words a hundred times or more when I was growing up and God called upon him to complete a mission. It was both comforting and disturbing on various levels.

I was so shocked by this that when he pulled back I looked to see if he was carrying his gym bag where he used to keep his sword but he was not holding anything but a windbreaker. "For a moment there I almost thought it was like old times and God was calling on you to perform a mission." I explained a little embarrassed by my thought but wanting to tell him why I may have looked a bit concerned.

"Yeah, I have to admit it felt like that to me too." He said with a smile that dismissed my concern. "It is the first time I am going out of town since I recovered and the way that this request came to me made me wonder if God is allowing me to continue to serve him now in this new capacity."

I could tell that my dad was incredibly happy by that particular prospect. Having spent so much time as God's avenging fist here on Earth I knew it was hard for him to fully rectify that he had walked away from that position of responsibility even though his injuries had made that a necessity. Having this possibility that now God was calling upon his new skills could easily be taken as proof that God was fully accepting my father in his new role. I could see why that would make his day.

So with all that being said there was no way that I was going to tell him that it was even more likely that Daniel had been behind this request more so than God. Yes I know, the Divine One works in mysterious ways and yes I do in fact believe this. However, I also knew that boys between the ages of sixteen and thirty, some even older, worked in devious ways when the potential for nookie was involved! Which of the two forces had more power here on Earth was up for debate.

"Go give your sister a kiss so we can get you to your new daycare." My mother said nudging Little Harry away from her leg and over in my direction. I stared seriously at him for a moment making the little tyke freeze in place before we both broke out in a smile and he came running over to wrap me in a rather strong bear hug for a child his age.

I looked at my mother. "A new daycare?" I asked confused. Charity Carpenter never tried anything new once she found something she deemed fit her needs. Case in point while I went to three different daycares as a child, the third one was deemed acceptable in my mother's rather stringent standards and therefore every other of my younger siblings all the way through Harry Junior had only attended this one. That being said there had to be a natural disaster here in the city of Chicago that I was unaware of that had driven this change.

"Yes the owners are renovating our regular one for the next few months so we had to find a temporary alternative." My mother explained to me. "Thankfully a new one that caters specifically to Catholic values called St. George's daycare opened up not much further away. I think it will be adequate until the paint dries and we get back to our regular schedule." Like I said Charity was not one for unnecessary compliments.

Little Harry smiled at me and pointed to the sticker on his chest of a knight in shining armor battling a dragon. Beneath it was proclaimed the required 'Hi my name is Harry' written in red crayon no less, so that all the others at this school would know what to call the new kid. He seemed to like the image of the knight, and since he had demonstrated this odd ability to see things that others did not, I wondered if that was because he knew that his dad had been just such a knight up until recently.

"Michael I have a schedule to keep." My mother said coming over to the bed and providing me the perfunctory kiss on my forehead before rounding up Harry and heading for the door.

My dad paused before following her. "Can you bring the van up to the door so I do not have to walk all the way across the parking lot?" He asked rubbing his healed but still crippled leg. "I will catch up with you after I kiss my first born one last time." My mother did not even think to argue as my dad was not one to lie, not even for the best of reasons.

I waited until her footsteps were a way down the hall before I spoke. "Dad is something wrong?" I asked with a sense of concern.

"With me?" He asked almost laughing. "No. I was actually going to ask you the same thing. You seem a little worn out for someone who has been lying in bed for more than a week."

I wanted to object but I could not easily lie to my dad; mom was a completely different story mind you. "I…uuummm…" I began but I just could not find the right words to say.

He stopped me with a raised hand. "I am not asking you to explain anything you do not want to." He said and the relief must have been readily apparent on my face because he noted it and chuckled before returning to his fatherly concerned voice.

"One thing though kiddo." He said. "No matter how much you may think it is better to handle things on your own, take it from you old man, having one or more friends at your back that you can rely on in times of trouble is always the better answer." He said shocking me with how relevant this basic fortune cookie like advice was at this moment.

He turned to begin to leave but I stopped him. "Dad?" I questioned making him turn his head toward me. "What made you say that?" I wondered if this was just random fate or if I had bigger issues to contend with.

"I don't really know." He said with a laugh. "Mom dropped Daniel and I off at the door when she went to park the van and I sent Daniel down here to make sure you were awake. But while I was waiting for your mother to meet up with me, this old janitor struck up a conversation on how important it was to have friends. I just thought it was good enough advice that was worthy of being passed on to you."

I had that sinking suspicion in the pit of my stomach but I could not stop myself from asking the next question. "Did you happen to catch the janitor's name by any chance?"

"Yeah." My dad said as he left. "It said Jake on his shirt."

Great, things just went from complicated to potential earth-shattering crisis. On the other hand I realized it was still good advice, and from this particular source I was certainly not going to ignore it. It took me only five minutes to narrow down my options before I grabbed the phone, luckily it was working – and based on who was behind the original advice I was hardly surprised, and dialed a number that I knew by heart.

"Hey, it is Molly…" I said to the voice that answered. "I need to tell you a few things. Are you available to meet tonight?"


	14. Chapter 14

**Life After Death**

_**Chapter 14**_

"Harry Dresden is dead." Karrin Murphy said to me as I got out of the Mustang in my Harry coat and hat. I did not go with the enhancing illusion because I wanted her to see it was me right away and not think that I was trying to deceiver her any further. "So dressing up as him is probably considered an insult."

"Worse still you misled a cop when you met with Stallings and pretended to be Dresden." I noted that Karrin did not include herself as a police officer at the moment because of her suspension and the likelihood she was going to get fired. "The district attorney might like to toss a felony obstruction of justice charge against you for that, or better still serve you up to the feds as a possible lead in the terrorist charges that were swirling around Harry before we went off to Mexico."

While I fully admit she was correct, hell she obviously knew the law better than me, I made sure not to show any fear about what she was telling me. It was not that I was not afraid of what I was hearing, I really am far too cute and perky for prison, it was just I had reached a point where I realized being scared would not solve anything.

Fear is just a feeling, and to quote a famous Korean man, "You feel cold, you feel warm, you feel afraid. Fear cannot kill you unless you let it control you." That was so true. And with Harry dead, fear was one of those luxuries I really was not allowed anymore. Instead of running from it, I had to face it head on and put it away. Easier said than done I assure you, but now was the perfect time to begin.

"Not to mention you lied to me kid." She said with a twinge of disappointment that was all wrapped up in a rather large bundle of anger and hostility. Since I did not really want to open that particular gift, let's just say I chose to set aside the whole 'kid' remark and choose instead to move on. See I can be so reasonable when I try; and when realizing that not being so would probably subject me to a rather nasty beat down. "I do not do well with people who lie to me, especially if they think they are protecting me by doing so." She finished.

Of course it was also important that I try to make Murphy as reasonable as possible if I was going to prevent these hundred other lesser issues such as arrest, exposure, or loss of a really important friend. Now, since my direction to go enlist friends came from an archangel no less, and these beings have this deep wholesome preference for truth I figured that he was likely expecting me to follow that particular course even though in some ways I thought this was the absolutely wrong course to follow.

It is not that I am against the concept of telling the truth, I just have enough experience to know that no one actually always wants to hear the unvarnished truth. Most people only want those 'truths' that reinforce what they already wish to accept as true and have problems with those that cut across their beliefs. While there may be universal truths out there somewhere, the ones we tend to deal with on a daily basis are far more mundane and a part of us. Growing older requires learning when full truth is called for when dealing with others, or sometimes even ourselves, and when stepping into gray areas on the fringes is more appropriate.

Don't believe me? Okay here is a test for you to prove my point. You have been having a rough time with your special significant other right before Valentine's Day. As an effort to make peace after a month of fighting and one of you sleeping on the couch, he or she spends all day making just you a special dinner and hints that they want to make up romantically for time lost once the meal is over. However, after your first bite you realize they accidentally used paprika rather than cinnamon on you special main course. You choke down the first bit when they turn and look to you and ask expectantly 'how does it taste?' Now, let me see a show of hands, which of you so loves sleeping on the lumpy couch so much that they say "honey you completely ruined the meal and wasted your day?"

Take that one step further into genetics and you will see why there is so little true honesty in this world. Answering that question is counterproductive, or rather counter-reproductive in this case. Honesty in this case lands you on the couch which prevents procreation. So this particular mutation of people born speaking true honesty, just like those who are naturally inclined toward a lifetime of celibacy, rarely lasts past a first generation. Darwin said that those life forms best able to adapt to their environment are the ones able to best survive; I think I have proven this is true where honesty is concerned too.

So there was truth, and then there was not lying. I was thinking I would try the latter and resort to the former if all else failed. "Murphy I have a death sentence hanging over my head since Harry is not these to vouch for me anymore and so I was trying to smoke out who killed Harry while keeping the White Council off balance by making it seem like he was not really dead. We both know if he had survived he would do the same thing and stay away from all of us to keep us safe if he thought that he had too so doing so was in character for Harry." See now that was not a lie and now for the required mea culpa. "I am sorry Murphy but I could not take chances that word of my deception would get back to the supposed good guys on the White Council who would carry out the sentence before I could bring Harry's killer to justice. They probably have been watching you since they know you and Harry were close."

"There has been no one watching me." Karrin said with confidence. But it was the confidence of a mortal without magic, or the full experience to know what such power was capable of.

"Murph they could watch you from half the planet away if they had just a few strands of your hair." I explained and saw her eyes narrow as she considered this based upon all the stories Harry had told of his ability to track people. "And they could even cast a veil on themselves and be standing right next to you this minute."

"Alright, so then what changed?" She asked me just a hair less offended than before. "I assume your death sentence is still in play and they might still be tracking me, so why all of a sudden did you call for this meeting and risk everything you have been doing becoming exposed?"

"Because last night I crossed paths with a woman who claimed she was the one who had Harry killed." I explained without offering that the motivation may have been to get at me. But even without motive this little detail made Murphy's whole emotional state turn to a contradictory one of icy hot rage. I figured I might as well offer a little bit more of the relevant data while she was dealing with that fact. "The woman in question also trashed both the sporting goods shop from two nights ago when she was going after Marcone and then Mortimer Lindquist's house last night." I explained knowing Murphy was aware of the one last night at least.

I let her stew over these facts because while she was a trained cop so therefore able to rein in her emotions much better than most people, she was still a woman and far more in tune with this part of herself than most guys. Once she seemed in control of these basic issues if what the woman had done I turned the conversation slightly to why the two of us were here in this parking lot in after hours.

"This woman is a wizard of some sort, or at least magically gifted, and she is also way out of my league." I said honestly and then turned up more subtle emotions related to needing help. "I remembered this morning that you told me that you and Will had decided to form a small network among Harry's friends in order to keep control over the magical aspects of Chicago in his absence." I said rather than 'in his place' which was probably more accurate, but also more finalistic.

"I assume that you also realize that she is also going after people with connections to Harry…" She said taking the story even farther than I had by an observation I had overlooked because it was so obvious. This made for a great opportunity.

"Exactly." I said. "Neither Marcone nor Lindquist is an actual wizard of course but both have connections to the magical world here in Chicago. I faced her twice and she has let me live, basically dismissing me as irrelevant. But being honest that may mean she will go after the rest of Harry's friends who have such connections to the arcane aspects of this city, which would make Will and you targets also."

That association and alert actually caught Karrin off guard. "I understand Will, but why lump me in that group. I do not have any special skills or is it because Harry and I were friends?" She asked.

I almost said yes because they were such close friends, but then another thought struck me that was even more truthful. "No it is not because you were friends with a wizard. You demonstrated the ability to wield the Sword of Faith on multiple occasions. There are probably only a handful of people on the planet capable of that which is a much smaller group than actual wizards." I said, knowing this because I had wanted to be one of them. "I am pretty sure that act alone gets you initiated into Harry's Dresden's Magically Connected Friends club, at least where any outsider would be concerned."

This observation paused Murphy as she gave all this consideration. Like Harry, Karrin was a person of action first, so her thought process revolved around how she could bring hurt down upon the one targeting Harry's friends. She was also a cop, well technically a cop on suspension, and that meant she had a way of thinking a problem through.

"Do you have any idea who this mysterious woman is?" She asked. "Harry made a fair number of enemies during his life from what he told me and some of the most dangerous were female. Could one of these be your cloaked mystery woman?" Thankfully by this time Karrin was starting to get over my deceptions and understand that while I may have lied to her, had the roles been reversed she would likely do much the same to me.

In answer to her question I explained that I had operated for the first few days off the same idea. I started by listing off the most dangerous female suspects that I could think of. From that list I explained that I had eliminated both Ms. Gard and the vampire Marva along with a strong likelihood that it was not any of the primary women of the Summer or Winter Courts since they either had a relationship with Harry or they did not want to chance war taking out the newest Winter Knight.

Karrin made me explain in detail my encounter with Marva and how I eliminated her three fledglings and then invoked her oath to leave town and not return. That act alone, well the planning behind it at least, earned me another notch of respect from Murphy. Having just battle the worst of the Red Court herself, Karrin knew taking down one of the few surviving therefore most deadly members of the Black Court was no little feat of accomplishment for someone as new to my powers as I was. Harry had crossed paths with her at least twice and both times she had not only lived, but perhaps even got the better of him; a feat few could claim.

While on the subject of vampires I also explained my encounter with Lara Raith and that she and her clan were also not likely behind these events. I even explained that she had been agreeable to feeding me information on Marva since we shared a mutual enemy. "I can only assume if she learns the Black Court bitch was driven out of town it will further the belief in their minds that Harry is indeed still alive." I finished up.

"Well it seems you have indeed been busy. And yes I do think you have the White Court convinced that Harry is alive because Thomas is as screwed up over Harry's possible death and mysterious resurrection as I have ever seen him." Murphy said with a critical and honest eye but an underlying tone of respect for how much I had accomplished.

"Unfortunately I guess there is no shortage of psycho females who had an issue of disagreement with Harry. You have hit all the major players that I have heard him speak of but it still may be someone only Harry knows. Maybe someone he thought he had killed has come back. Or maybe someone who he thought he had help now has second thoughts and was gunning for him. If he were here he'd probably be able to tell us who she is but without having his memories to call upon were at a dead end." She said ironically.

I came real close to mentioning Margaret Dresden's spirit at that moment and the way she was feeding me many of Harry's early memories. I said close to because really just how crazy would that particular story sound if I started to tell it? Okay it is not that Murphy would particularly doubt me since crazy pretty much was a constant companion for those who hung around with Harry, but still it was not something I wanted to share at the present time since I was not into having an Oprah moment.

"Hell there is still the White Council." I explained. "Heaven knows there are enough people there who had no love for Harry and his accepting the Winter Knight power might have made them even more nervous."

"Would it make someone nervous enough to hire an assassin?" Murphy asked. "I thought you wizard types went in for destroying your enemies yourself with magic or cutting off heads with swords. A high powered rifle seems a little too impersonal for that."

"It is actually pretty smart." I responded with what I knew. "Up close and personal would allow a wizard of Harry's power to use a death curse which might kill or severely weaken whoever was trying to kill him. Wizards tend to be chess masters and do not find the idea of fair swaps to be a good one since the games they play take place over the centuries of their lives."

"So that is why the Archive keeps Kinkaid around?" Murphy asked. "She needs a mercenary on the payroll? That way he handles her wet work without allowing blowback to come at her?" The reference made me remember my earlier call from Ivy.

"She called me two days ago, knew what I was up to, and told me that the cloaked woman I was facing had attacked her as well and because of this shared interest she was sending Kinkaid to help me even the score. I think after the battle with the Denarians, Ivy does not let personal assaults go unanswered. There are a lot of beings who might see her only as a pre-teen girl and want her power for their own." My dad's injuries had come on account of that attack. "From what Harry said, Kinkaid would take such actions rather personally as well." I offered. "He should have been here yesterday but I never heard from him." I explained and wondered what that meant and if it was a hint that things were even worse than I knew.

"Do not assume the worst just yet." Murphy cautioned. "Kinkaid is very good at what he does. He might have just had a trouble arranging travel from wherever he stashed Ivy for safe keeping."

"Or he may have crossed paths with the cloaked woman and come out on the losing end of that encounter." I said knowing that according to her Ms. Gard had also come up second best.

Murphy grew a little tenser as she played out that possibility in her mind. But while she might emotionally be concerned, her practical nature as a cop came through. "I'm certain that if something that significant had attacked Ivy, Kinkaid would be smart enough to take that into account in order to plan ahead. That would mean he would take the right weapons with him to ensure he was prepared for whatever he was facing."

Harry had also taught me never to take anything at face value. Trust your friends, but always question advantageous coincidences, except where my dad or any of the other Knights of the Sword were concerned since they were immune to coincidence based upon who their patron was. But this consideration left me with another worry.

"Karrin what if Kinkaid was the one who gunned down Harry?" I asked and before she could offer a rejection out of hand I threw out the second part of my quick analysis. "And what if Ivy is the cloaked woman I keep crossing paths with? I mean she was the one who translated for me Stallings's list. What better way to keep us from considering her as the power behind the scene than to act like an ally early on and point us in another direction?"

Murphy would not even entertain such an idea, though I could see this was logic based not emotional. "No Ivy likes Harry too much to betray him." Murphy replied without a hint of doubt in her emotions. "Hell he saved her life. And Kinkaid respected him fir that also so has no motive to do what you suggest." Karrin's tone on the second part of her answer showed she was not as completely certain of this last detail as she had been on the first part no matter what her words may have said.

I of course took up that doubt and played it our further for the both of us to examine. "Except of course we both know Kinkaid is a mercenary therefore shooting Harry would really only be an issue of getting paid sufficiently for the job right?" I asked knowing that to be true. She started to object but I kept speaking. "Hell I agree that I do not think this is a likely scenario." There is always a 'but' after this kind of statement. "But I have to admit the way Harry was taken down sounds just like what a smart mercenary who was used to dealing with wizards would devise to avoid a death curse."

Karrin could do nothing but agree with that particular statement. "Let's just agree that until we find out where Kinkaid was when Harry was shot that we not ignore him as a possible suspect who fits the bill." It took a moment of further consideration but finally she nodded in agreement at the logic of identifying suspects even if emotionally she wanted to deny it.

I felt a strong wave of anger and annoyance wash over me at that moment but neither of us said anything else at that moment. The intensity made me feel uncomfortable, but I was not going to back down. Instead I tried to act like I had not felt anything at all.

Murphy sat in silence for a moment obviously weighing things in her own mind that she chose not to share with me. I have to give her credit. While her personal feelings on these issues might have caused most people to lose their focus on what was actually important, Sergeant, former Lieutenant, Karrin Murphy was too good of a cop to let her own concerns distract her from the bigger picture at hand.

"Alright let's take a shot at this from the other direction." She said focusing fully upon me once more. "Sometimes by defining what the ultimate goal of a questionable crime is, you can work it backwards to see who profits most and by doing so determine the best suspects." I guess that makes sense even if I had not specifically thought of it. Heaven knows most of the cop shows of television usually tried to identify who profited from mysterious deaths to determine the one ultimately involved. And this case was just bizarre enough with strange twists and turns that this tactic might work.

"So what is this cloaked woman's endgame? Obviously it was more than merely killing Dresden." Murphy asked me to try and define. "Of the two of us you are the one who understands all the hocus pocus stuff. Why is she going after all of Harry's acquaintances? Seems like a pretty extreme case of vengeance. Normally I would think you would target their closest friends rather than just people he dealt with. Hell Marcone and Dresden did not even particularly like each other, so you would think the cloaked woman might see him as an ally rather than a target. And even so what the heck does all this have to do with the komodo dragon?"

"Of all of this let me start by saying I'm not certain what role the big lizard is playing in all of this." I said quite honestly knowing this one weird detail made no sense in any of the scenarios I had run through my head. Currently I was left chalking it up to whomever killed Harry also liked lizards. I turned instead to what little I did know.

"If what Marva told me is true, and heaven knows she is a far better expert on the darker aspects of magic than I am, the cloaked woman is looking to bring someone back from the dead." I said seeing Murphy's reaction to that comment, an emotional wave of confusion, match completely the feelings I had felt when the Black Court vampire had explained this to me. But then I felt an even stronger wave of absolute anger and loathing, so strong that it nearly made me sick, though Karrin's little frame still showed only confusion. My eyes widened momentarily as I understood what was going on but played along.

"Harry?" Murphy asked echoing all my own earlier thoughts to a tee. The sliver of hopefulness in her tone was a perfect twin for that feeling in my own heart as well.

"That is what I was thinking but I do not know for certain." I acknowledged with a nod.

She was looking for more from me on this but I was slightly distracted as I began to very, very slowly start drawing in magic into myself. "But why would she kill him or have him killed if her goal is just to bring him back to life anyway? It does not make sense." She asked me which of course I was still working on a reasonable answer myself.

"Assuming he is the target for the spell, I have two possible options, though up until now I really have no one I can ask about these to see if they are even feasible." I said in response wanting to make sure we did not let our emotions blind us to other possibilities.

"The first is to place some sort of binding or compulsion over him." I said hoping to confer that such a spell would almost assuredly add more than just an obligation to do something nice for the other person at some point in the future. "The problem with dark magic is that the White Council had outlawed it so there really was not a lot of study material for apprentices to understand what these types of spells were capable of. It was not outside the realm of possibility that an enemy killing and restoring Harry could make him either an effective slave or at least sideline him from ever interfering in the cloaked woman's plans. Based on Harry's reputation either one of those outcomes would probably be a heck of a magical coup."

At the same time I also sent a quick message to Margaret in my head, telling her what I was worried about and offering my plan for dealing with it. She agreed though said I really should try to enlist Karrin into it as she might be a valuable resource.

"Sorry, I cannot picture Harry being enslaved to anyone." Murphy seemed to dismiss this. "He is too damn stubborn and pigheaded to let anyone tell him what to do. I'm no expert in magic but I doubt there is a spell out there that could break though his granite-like head." She laughed a bit for my sake and I smiled back for hers. "What is the other option then?" She asked me knowing that any 'first' had to be followed by a 'second.'

"The second is that he might have arranged the whole thing sort of as way of getting out of his promise to serve as the new Winter Knight until death." I said in the most basic explanation I could muster. I crossed my arms over my chest and let my right hand slide just a bit inside my coat as I looked at her. Frustratingly if she noticed this she was too cool about it to give me any reaction, though emotionally she might have gotten a bit more excited. But heck, based on what we were discussing who knows what was causing the reaction. I had to just hope for the best.

"You have to be kidding me." Karrin said in shock. "That seems a little extreme even for Dresden. Usually I am the one who has to prepare for drastic action. Harry normally just falls into situations and then has to battle his way back out."

"He did this kind of thing before." I said knowing this particular story from my father. "When he made a deal with his godmother Leanansidhe to serve her as one of her hounds in exchange for her saving some of his friends he later took hemlock or some other slow acting poison as a means of getting her to surrender her hold over him."

"You are kidding me!" She said not wanting to believe just how reckless Harry could be. "I take it this is the same Leah who…"

"Yes the Leanansidhe is the woman who changed us into hounds down in Mexico." I answered.

"Yeah she seemed to have just a little too much 'Fatal Attraction/Hand that Rocks the Cradle crazy vibe about her when she was looking at Harry." Karrin agreed with a nod of remembrance. "But still the whole poison thing seems the very edge of extreme for him. I can't see willingly taking a rifle shot. Couldn't he have just bought his way out of being the Winter Knight? Surely he could have offered something else less drastic." She winked at me which I took as a good sign.

"No." I replied. "Queen Mab is even more powerful than the…" Margaret's voice in my head tried to stop my next word but before I recognized what she was cautioning the name had almost passed my lips. I also felt a sudden wave of surprise and fear that was not coming from Karrin or from myself at that moment. Hey when calling out a name of a Faerie three times usually draws their attention I could understand why someone might be concerned if I was going to do so, even seemingly accidentally. Most being who understood such power tried to avoid it whenever possible. And being an apprentice made people believe that this was just the type of mistake that I might actually make, which you will see I didn't.

Instead of saying Leah's name a third time and therefore calling her, I released my pent up magic and called out a command. "Neon Pink!" I did not use Latin because I do not think there is a word for neon in Latin, at least not one my class work ever taught me.

I pushed out a circle of weak magical power at the same time as my command word, since the spell required distance more than force in this case. I noted that Karrin was as sharp as ever and drew her ten millimeter automatic pistol from the small of her back and spun looking for whatever targets would present themselves. Of course finding targets was the goal of my particular spell.

When Sweet had shown me how to use an illusion to mask the graveyard and the army that was moving through it from Marva and her disciples, I realized even then the potential this type of spell had for other things, such as instead locating people or things hidden under a veil. You see the neat thing about the spell is that it only covered those things that I could see. Now in casting my Neon Pink spell, and yes I could have chosen any color but since it was dark I wanted something that would stand out, I sent my magic out like a supersized tub of reflective paint to wash across everything I could see for a hundred yards or so and turn it momentarily this nice bright color.

And that left a small, two foot or so, human shaped area on the hood of my car that remained mysterious black in color because it represented something that I could not see. And before this black stain could fade away and also become pink, Murphy's eyes noted it, and more importantly her gun was quickly trained directly upon it in the center of mass.

"Show yourself." Karrin ordered thumbing back the weapon's hammer with a distinctive click. "These are special order iron hollow point rounds that a wizard friend of mine fixed up to go through magical shields like a Teflon round will go through a bullet proof vest." Wow I did not even know such things existed. Maybe now I need to invest in something with a bit more deterrence value than just this leather duster.

Not surprisingly based on the shape, Sweet appeared on the hood of my car wearing an overly forced smile as she puffed upon her pipe. For all her cool demeanor I could also sense actual concern in her small frame as she tried to act nonchalant while staring down the barrel of a gun. "Let's not get too hasty there sister." She said trying to keep Murphy calm as she spoke as sweetly as her name. "You are a fine Irish girl and are known by my kind to have a bit of a temper, so there is no need to be pointing your weapon this way merely because I was listening in to your conversation for a wee bit and did not care to disturb you just yet." She smiled.

"You seem to know a lot about me; both my name and my heritage." Karrin said not moving the gun even a fraction of an inch. "But you do not seem to know that my 'sister' is hardly my favorite person or you would not have used that particular term to try and befriend me."

That comment seemed to catch Sweet off guard and she visibly gulped even though I knew that Karrin was bluffing. Okay maybe 'knew' is a bit much. Let's just say I was fifty-one percent certain she was not going to shoot the little leprechaun sitting on my hood, at least not without further provocation.

"Why are you here Sweet?" I asked with a bit of a steel undertone to the question. "You passed along Toot's unavailability status last night and our bargain for the donuts has concluded so why are you still acting as my invisible shadow?" I hemmed her in so she had to answer with something new. Now that she had dropped her own veil I let the world resume its more natural color while Karrin continued to keep her covered.

"Suren there is no need to be pointing your gun this way seeing how them particular devices seem to malfunction and accidentally fire sometimes when wizards, or even apprentice wizards be about. I will be more than happy to talk now that you caught me." She said only momentarily taking her eyes off the barrel to plea at me for support with her eyes.

"It is your call Molly." Murphy said. "Can we trust her?" Sweet's eyes jumped to me once more in a plea for benevolence.

"Hell no!" I said. "She's a faerie so of course we cannot trust her." I said making the little leprechaun's eyes open even wider in fear. "But beside that particular fact I do not think the situation rises to the need to shoot her." Murphy's posture relaxed at my words and she holstered her weapon even as Sweet attempted to catch up. After a moment the little leprechaun smiled as well.

And then she even laughed. "Lass you truly will be one of the White Council greats if you live long enough." She said in praise. Personally I did not know whether that was a compliment or an insult. Hell it could even have been a warning considering how I viewed the White Council.

"You have not answered my question yet." I pointed out to Sweet so that she would not distract us. "Why are you here?"

She seemed hesitant as she drew the pipe from her mouth and bit on her lower lip. It was an adorable look that I vaguely remembered from my childhood, sans pipe, but thankfully I was too focused to be distracted by it. "I told you last night that my clan made a promise to Saint Patrick to look out for gifted ones like yourself." She replied after a bit. "I'm just following my promise and offering help where I can."

I thought about that and the blatantly hopeful emotion that Sweet was directing my way and tossed it aside. I knew faeries do not lie, but that does not mean everything they say is the absolute truth either. "Bull!" I replied confidently. "If you are assigned as my guardian angel then you would have lent a hand against the Nazis or Abagalesidhe when my life was in true danger of ending rather than me having to face them all on my own." I said rather confidently. "I do not doubt your sincerity, or at least for some reason you are under obligation to help me, but what I need to know is what caused this debt between us in the first place." I asked. "I think it is important that I know when it will be settled before I can even begin to trust you."

"Smart girl." She said making her pipe disappear. "Perhaps too smart which is partly the reason you are in the mess that you are in right now." She said shaking her head.

"Save your evaluations and answer the question please." I replied not taking her bait.

"Alright I will do so to the extent that I am able but you need to understand that I am under a magical compulsion not to say too much and nothing you or your fine Irish officer Karrin Murphy can threaten me with will break that spell." She explained.

I knew such spells existed since they worked upon the mind which was my particular forte. They were mostly white magic as in almost every case the person placed under them had to agree to the condition for the spell to have any effect upon him or her. For example, I could not compel Murphy never to speak of food, unless she agreed and gave my spell this power over her. For Sweet to have such a spell meant there was something significant in play that not only the casted did not want her talking about to me, but that she did not want to speak about either. That would be a complication.

But I also knew that she could not outright lie to me since she was a faerie, so that made my first question both the most important and the easiest to ask in this particular case.

"Are you working for the cloaked woman or supporting her efforts and goals?" I asked doubting this was the case but needing to hear her answer to be sure. I figured if the lady had gone to all the trouble of acquiring the Mercedes I had been smashed into just to place a tracking spell on me, then she probably had no need for a spy who I might catch, as I did. A spy might be tortured or compelled to give me valuable insight beyond what a mere tracking spell could provide therefore it was an unnecessary risk to the cloaked woman's plans compared to what little information the leprechaun could provide.

"Saint's preserve us!" She replied with a wave of honest shock and revulsion. "No, I'd not work for that one." She said with an obvious projection of pure truth.

"So she is you enemy?" I asked Sweet figuring her last answer made this one more likely.

The little leprechaun opened her mouth but no words came out. She was obviously not lying about the compulsion spell and by not being able to speak this meant I was probably correct. Cool now I had a potential source of information to learn what was really going on.

"So what is really going on?" I asked hoping to at last begin putting all the pieces together. And of course Sweet was unable to say a damn thing! Stupid compulsion spell!

I know I could have stood out there all night playing this version of verbal minesweeper, looking for what questions she could answer to reveal information and what she could not, but that really was a long and tiring process not to mention it was fraught, so cool when I can use the word 'fraught' in a sentence, with even more dangers. Asking questions would lead me to making assumptions, and those could be deadly. I needed a Rosetta Stone to help me put the all pieces together in one quick swoop before I made the wrong assumptions.

"Do you know of someone who can tell me what is going on?" I asked Sweet.

"I do indeed." She said with a smile in response. "I am so glad that you are so smart Molly and know just the right things to ask." She said with a smile and a wink.

"Let me guess we are off to see the King Arthur, Lord of the Leprechauns?" Murphy asked sarcastically.

"We don't have a king girl." Sweet replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We don't believe in that particular form or government. Instead we're an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week." She said making me groan because I had heard this one a hundred times before.

I tried to interrupt but Sweet would not be put off. "And for your information, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. You can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some watery tart threw a sword at you! I mean, if I went 'round saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!"

God preserve us from when the spirits of the Nevernever started using Monty Python as their source of divine authority. I had always wondered why Harry had made me watch these shows as 'part of my magical training.' I had thought at the time that he was just sick and twisted. Little did I know it was not just him but a significant part of the magical community as well!

"Keep it up and I will show you the violence inherent in the system!" Karrin said finishing up the leprechaun's reference. It had the effect of stopping Sweet's little joke midstream.

I looked over at Karrin who was not quite smiling. "You too?" I asked with a sense of sympathy.

"Yeah when I was first figuring out that there was indeed something to this whole magic thing, Harry had me sit and watch this movie three times in a row until our beer ran out." She said shaking her head. "I do not know which is sadder. Was it that this had been the best date, okay only date, I had been on in more than two years at that time, or the fact that even after a case and a half of beer he would not try to kiss me?"

I wanted to say something but I was missing the funny little things about Harry at that moment as much as she was. Thankfully Sweet was there to handle the tension. "I'd suggest it be the way you like to point your gun at everybody first might keep the boys from wanting a taste of your lips." She offered.

Murphy tensed at the barb just a bit. "Don't tempt me sprite." She warned dangerously.

"Not at all…not at all…just offering another female opinion since we are having this girl's night out thing as you American's refer to it." She replied with a cautious smile.

"Where are we going?" I asked Sweet to change the conversation once more.

"I do not know the where, but you probably do." She replied honestly but annoyingly vague.

"What do you mean?" I was getting a bit annoyed myself. "Who are we going to see?"

"Why your Valkyrie friend of course." Sweet replied. "She knows and has now even fought the cloaked woman that you want your answers about. I'm sure she can tell you as much about her as I could."

Until this moment I had forgotten I did indeed have the means to do what the leprechaun was suggesting. I pulled the three strands of golden hair out of the folded piece of paper I had placed them in when putting them in my pocket. The cloaked woman said Gard had escaped but had been wounded. Hopefully she would be able to offer some help and not be near death as I had seen her before.

Speaking of death, I noted ironically that I had gotten so desperate I was actually seeking out an angel of death.

"Let's do this then." I said drawing my magic to me.


	15. Chapter 15

**Life After Death**

_**Chapter 15**_

"Harry Dresden is dead." Ms. Gard said when Murphy and I finally located her. "And it is looking like I may join him soon."

My tracking spell worked as designed, and for the sake of brevity I will not go into the details of its operation because I have walked you through this at least half a dozen times by now. In this case having the Valkyrie's hair was of course a boon and led us directly to her location which was vital in this instance because I would never have found her otherwise if I had to rely upon normal investigative skills.

Assuming she was in truth seriously wounded just as the cloaked woman had gloated over, the logical place for Ms. Gard to go to in my opinion would have been a hospital to have her wounds looked at. But of course logic rarely plays the leading role in the grand plays of life where wizards and magic are concerned. I must attest that I am not sure if Cook County is prepared to deal with any emergency medical treatment nuances related to the unique biology of a valkyrie, you know little things like not willing to put down a battleaxe and such. I suspect the means of dealing with this situation lies outside the traditional medical school classes offered at any of the Ivy League schools, or any medical school that is not in a warzone for that matter.

The next most likely option for Gard to take then, and the one I had suspected would be true, was that she had chosen to hole up at a hidden safe house location somewhere, most likely one of Marcone's numerous ones, where the facility would be stocked up on emergency medical supplies as well as food and weapons for a few day siege. Since Murphy told me Gentleman Johnny Marcone had dozens of front companies and properties all over the city I figured the tracking spell was the only means by which I was going to narrow down that particular list which to my mind entailed potentially everything except my parents house and our church in the greater Chicago area. I would have included Harry's apartment and office as well, but those no longer existed.

When the spell started leading Karrin and I down into the older, industrial parts of the city I was sure that the safe house answer was correct and that Murphy and I would find Gard hiding out in some warehouse or converted office building. Boy was I wrong and my nose may never forgive me for that particular error!

Few people realize that along with being an industrial town, a port city for transporting goods, and the western edge of the manufacturing rust belt, Chicago was also for much of its history considered the eastern edge or northern gateway to the Old West just as St. Louis served the same role further to the south. Chicago of course never really had the associated gunslingers and saloon mentality of say Tombstone, Arizona unless of course you think of Al Capone's days as a wild west sort of timeframe, but it still catered in that age to important aspects of that lifestyle.

Due to its location and especially as a major rail transportation hub for those goods transiting between the civilized northeastern states and the West Coast, Chicago also became a perfect transition location for goods coming east on the return trip, especially cattle. What that meant is that the city of Chicago had once been home to massive slaughter houses where still living beef on the hoof was processed, by that you can assume it to be a polite way of saying no longer living. It was then salted, and in the winter frozen, before being shipped to the plates of rich New Yorkers and others such discriminating tastes with money to spend and who did not desire the smells that went with such places to offend their rather sensitive, and did I mention rich, noses. If I had not already been a vegetarian this place would have converted me.

Of course over the last century much of that business moved on to other locations as fresh meat preservatives became better and transportation became faster and allowed for mechanical cooling. Those slaughterhouse businesses which remained in the city, mostly due to tradition, were also consolidated down to just a few such enormous places from the dozens that had once called the city home since this overall need was reduced.

My tracking spell led me unerringly to one of these last massive slaughter houses still operating in the city, which along with a neighboring brewery, gave this part of town what anyone might call a rather individual aroma that lost tourists always seemed to remember if they ended up here. Thank the magic gods I had power to remedy this effect at my disposal.

Normally Harry was quite strict in telling me not to use magic frivolously but the shared look on Karrin's face that I knew matched my own was enough to make me bend this particular caution and cast a scent-based illusion, something Margaret Dresden's spirit told me was call Olfactory Magic. Yes they really have smell spells it seems, to make the environment much more pleasant of if you are a teenage boy learning magic, less pleasant with a spell called 'pull my finger!' That was another particular memory from Harry's childhood that she shared with me that I probably would have lived quite well throughout the remainder of my life without visualizing.

I used a much better scent, lilacs in this case, this to allow Karrin and I to traipse through the various parts of the building once we were forced by crystal tracker to get out of Murphy's car to search on foot.

We found Ms. Gard lying on one of the twelve foot long butcher tables in what currently appeared to be a seldom used part of the facility. She still had her suit pants on that I had seen her wearing the last time but those looked much worse for wear based upon the dark stains they sported. I doubt Armani suits and blood go well together.

From the waist up Gard was naked, her matching shirt and coat little more now than shredded rags lying on the ground beside her tossed off because ti likely served more to get in the way of her first air treatments than offer any assistance or even modesty. Of course her wardrobe was not the only casualty of her battle.

Worse for her was that the valkyrie was forced to lay on her stomach on what appeared to be an awfully cold metal table. She did this not so much for modesty sake but rather because she had three long, deep gashes running from her shoulders and neck, down across her shoulder blades and spine to the small of her well muscled back. For simplicity sake picture a comic book Wolverine's claw strike effect but put the space between each blade more than six inches apart.

For the most part, while the parallel wounds looked nasty they were no longer bleeding, having been mostly stitched together, or more accurately sealed, with bottles of crazy glue as evident from the two dozen or so empty tubes that lay scattered on the ground around the table. However, on twin spots on each of her shoulder blades Gard's wounds appeared still slightly open and even now still oozed blood making the already pale woman nearly albino like in complexion.

I could tell that Gard had tried to reach these areas with glue as well but the combination of their awkward position and the way she had to bend to reach them likely just served to reopen other areas of the wounds when she tried to seal these. Therefore to keep herself from bleeding out completely she had decided to accept their current condition and just lay here unmoving until the rest scabbed over enough to allow her another option. The combination of her pale complexion and the way she did not even raise her head when she saw Karrin and I enter the room told me that even this course of action was not guaranteed to keep her alive.

"Of Jesus you look like crap! Hold on and I will call an ambulance." Murphy said stepping away from me before reaching for her cell phone. All her association with Harry had taught Murphy that if she was going to spend much time around a wizard, keeping the cell phone turned off when within ten feet or so nearly doubled its life expectancy of just a few days to maybe more than a week which is pretty exceptional.

"Don't." Gard said gritting her teeth in pain from just speaking. "It is not the warrior way. I will live or die as a warrior. Your hospitals would not know what to do with me anyway and that is not taking into account what I might do to those who rely upon technology to keep them alive." Good point! I stayed away from the intensive care units for this very reason and if the paramedics saw her injuries you could be sure that was right where they would choose to take her. Murphy was not as easily convinced and based upon her cop code of conduct showed no signs of changing her declared course of action regardless of how demanding Gard was on this point. I did not need these two starting off playing alpha female so I jumped right .

"I got it covered." I said injecting myself between two women, either of which I would not choose to face off against under normal circumstances. But something either in my tone or my words drew their momentary respect enough to silence them before they said or did anything else. For Karrin it was probably her knowledge of some of the things I had done. For Gard she was probably just too exhausted to fight me over this as well. Of course speaking convincingly that I had the situation under control and actually following up on this in a way that proved I was not full of crap was a bit different. I even dropped my coat because I did not want to get blood on it.

I stood next to Gard and with her warrior nature she naturally tried to adjust her body to offer some sort of position of less than totally defenseless to my actions. Allies of necessity are only so until the necessity abates and it is not like Marcone's side was going to go straight anytime soon.

The testament to her toughness is that she succeeded in reopening the two bloody points on her shoulder blades even wider and the trickle of blood began to again flow more freely over her alabaster skin. She did not scream or even wince in pain at this but I could feel her body's desperation not only through my emotional empathy but from the momentary blink this cause her eyes to make. She was certainly tough, but even handmaidens of the gods had their limits it seemed.

"Leave…me…" She tried to struggle and find the energy to sit up but her arms were too shaky to lift her more than an inch off the table by the time I reached the point where I was standing beside her. Thankfully I had also decided on what I had to do.

"Look we understand it. You are a tough warrior woman and all. No one here is about to think the less of you if you do not die." I said without sarcasm, placing my hands on her back, she may look female but god it felt like it was all solid muscle under her otherwise soft skin. Well that is except for where her back was now little more than shredded flesh. I pushed her gently but firmly back down onto the table. She resisted for a moment out of pride more than any reserve of strength, but I am not what one would call a weak damsel myself, and that fact combined with her exhaustion was enough to force her back down into a resting position to let me take care of things.

Once she was down again and seemed willing to stay there, or at least unable to resist further, I moved my hands and placed them right atop her bloody shoulder blades. To my surprise I felt lumps of bone jutting up through the torn flesh and realized that this was all that was left of her magnificent wings she had flown off with when I had last seen her. It seems like the cloaked woman really had clipped the Valkyrie's wings. I could not help myself from making a noise of sympathy at the beauty that had been destroyed.

"They will be restored over time if my body has the chance to heal." Gard spoke softly sensing my shock that had turned to hesitance. "Like the rest of my wounds, and with the All Father's blessing, I shall be restored to full health with the passage of days."

"Yeah that is a great plan providing the bitch that did this to you in the first place does not come along in the meantime and finish you off." Murphy replied coming up to stand beside me.

"If such is my fate then I welcome it as a true warrior's death." She said with a prideful tone. "But that is why I chose this place to hide. The scent of my blood is but a drop and therefore masked in comparison in the greater river that flows regularly through this building." I had to give her that. "I could sense my enemy had indeed pursued me at first but she was unable to find me here and finish our battle so she soon turned her thoughts back to the one she truly hates and her plans for you." Score one for the Norse warrior woman! Getting away, even injured appeared to be the best anyone on our side had accomplished so far. Of course the fact that her last sentence was spoke while looking directly at me took a second or two for me to realize. But I had to put that aside and save her life before I asking her what the hell she was talking about.

"Why do the magic ones always have to be hard cases?" Murphy asked aloud making Gard tense just slightly in anger based on what my hands and my emotion reading told me.

"That is enough from both of you!" I snapped sounding more like my mother than I cared to. "I'm working here and do not need the distraction of an unnecessary catfight. Save your bitch slapping for the real enemy and let me do my job!" Wow I am not sure where that came from. Actually I was sure. It came from fear. But I have to say it certainly sounded cool and got the momentary break of silence that I desired.

Working off of instinct I closed my eyes and sought out my inner chi, or mana, or the dozens of other terms that existed for the inner source of power that lay within us. I had learned how to use this to heal others in the past, having been tested under a trial by fire to keep my brother Daniel alive from an incredibly nasty spider bite. I of course had never tried this on a Valkyrie so I had no clue if this would even work but hey it was the best that I could come up with at the present.

Once I felt my inner self immersed in the power of my chi I let my consciousness flow outward from this spot, through my hands, and into Ms. Gard's body. I had invaded and dominated the minds of others before and I can say with some authority that this effect was nothing like that; especially since mind controlling another was a death warrant for me now.

Healing was more like allowing me to be an observer on the inner workings and damage of the warrior woman's body. And once I had this thorough understanding, I could suddenly serve as the site foreman, directing repairs and reconstruction be accomplished at a rather non-union like pace from her own healing resources and those that I brought with me.

I felt Gard stiffen in pain as I began repairing the damaged blood pathways. Few people understand healing hurts nearly as much as the inflicting of wounds only it is spread out over a longer period of time so we hardly notice it. Thankfully no arteries had been completely severed, only strained, and once all those appeared healed I ordered a heavy dose of endorphins released into the valkyrie's body to relieve the pain and make her more pliable to the next issues facing me.

Okay truth be told I am not a medical student so what I just explained is not something I consciously ordered but rather an instinctual thing that seemed right at the time. Chi healing works on this deeper understanding that we have. My Buddhist monk friend explained we are born knowing all these answers we merely need to remember them. I'm not sure I accept the deeper connotations of that statement. I just prefer the shortened version of when in doubt I go with what feels right.

With blood flowing normally through her body and Gard's pain now reduced my thoughts turned to restoring the muscles, flesh, and skin to its more natural condition. I knew that I had neither the time, energy, nor knowledge to restore her wings at this point so since she said they would heal and regrow naturally over time I left that area alone with only enough healing to seal off the bleeding.

The problem with chi healing is that it is very easy to become addicted to the feeling of power that this gives you over another person. In many ways it made me feel like an artist molding a lump of clay. Some deep and dark part of me realized that was I so inclined that perhaps I could use this power to inflict damage, to open wounds where none existed before. Perhaps I even could mold skin and bone into new shapes they were never meant to take, rather than restoring them to their natural shape. Yeah if I had any inclinations to be the next Dr. Moreau and create my own mutant army, the use of this power would certainly afford me the opportunity.

But thankfully I'm a good girl. No really, I pretty much am no matter how I may dress to annoy my mother so you can stop laughing. Either way I did not give these thoughts any additional attention. Unfortunately I should have monitored my own power level a little better because by the time Ms. Gard was healed and I stopped flowing energy into her, my tank came up pretty much dry. I saw my internal low fuel light only an instant before I wobbled and fell forward as my eyes rolled up in my head.

And then awoke a few moments later finding myself lying on my back on a clean portion of the very same table where Gard had been only a few minutes before. Both she and Murphy were now standing over me and smiling as my eyes came back into focus.

"Jesus Molly you are just as stupid as Harry sometimes." Murphy said with a disapproving shake of her head that was over exaggerated because of the scare I had just put her through.

"Yeah well it worked though…um…right?" I said looking at Ms. Gard who was staring at me with a new found respect.

"It did indeed." She said with a hint of awe in her voice. "I am unsure the All Father could have accomplished what you did."

Okay I know that sounds cool being compared to a deity an all, but it's not like the Norse Pantheon was known for gods of healing or medicine. Basically they were a rowdy group dedicated to drinking and doing battle. And let there be no question that in those areas especially they were worthy of acknowledgement if not worship.

"It was nothing." I tried to shrug it off since I hate this type of praise and because Gard had done nothing to address her nakedness. I tried to sit up and raised my head almost six inches before getting woozy and literally falling back. It was at this point I found hitting a metal table with your head sound surprisingly like a clanging horseshoes at an outdoor picnic. The sounds of bells I heard after in my mind were closer to church ones by the way.

"You must conserve your strength." Gard said to me firmly but with a hint of mixed respect and concern. "If your enemy finds you in this weakened state all is lost!"

"Take…coat…" I had trouble focusing my mind and speaking as I wanted to chase rainbows and butterflies but her words seemed to strike a deeper chord in me that I knew was important to focus upon.

"Ah yes…mortal modesty." I heard the distinctive sounds of leather flapping into place and through barely opened eyes saw her now covered in the duster. I could not even help from thinking how good she looked in it. Like the ultimate biker bitch with an attitude and a glimmer in her eye that was enough to say it was not an act.

Come on Molly focus here. "You said 'my enemy.'" I tried to form a coherent thought while using a few words as possible. "Don't you mean our enemy?" I said trying to nod toward her still injured back as a means to emphasize my point. Note to self jerking nods when nearly unconscious merely makes the blood flow away from the brain not to it! That's good to know for next time.

"I was merely a target of convenience in this case." Gard replied evenly. "She and I have a long history between us where neither yet has found victory. Our battle was just that playing forth this dance we shared once again." She explained.

"So you know who the bitch blowing up the city is?" Murphy asked rather sternly. "And you did not think to share that knowledge with those of us who might be able to stop her?"

"Of course I know her." Gard replied confused by the statement. "So does she." By which I assume she meant me, though I had my eyes closed at the time so was unable to be certain of that until I began to feel Murphy's emotional temperature began to rise.

"Molly?" She said in the same tone my mother would normally say 'Margaret.'

"I don't." I whispered shaking my head and quickly finding out that head shakes were in the same bad category as head nods at the moment. Not that I expected any sympathy from Karrin for this though.

"But you must know her." Gard said even more confusion evident in her voice and emotions. "The old code of her kind requires her to proclaim a blood feud before striking at you. Only if they fight to defend their homes or property may she ignore this requirement of her people. And while Chicago may sit upon an ancient swamp, it is surely not her natural home or I would have smelled her out long ago."

"I did get a blood feud message more than a year ago but I had no idea why or who it was from." I said without moving my head and still suffering an even greater headache for my troubles. "I figured she was probably some psycho coming after me as Harry's apprentice or some such and when nothing ever happened I just forgot about it. Now I figure she is just trying to prevent me as the last magical defender of Chicago from interfering with the spell she is seeking to cast to raise the dead."

"WHAT?" Gard jerked at my words causing me to move my head and want to suddenly invest all my money in Tylenol. "Explain quickly what you know. There seems to be many more lives at stake than I first imagined, and those closest to you are most likely in the greatest danger."

Yeah her high pitched orders and level of obvious excitement along with identifying the next likely targets did wonders for clearing my head and making me ignore the throbbing headache for the moment. I pulled out the translation note of the spell that I had talked to Marva about as a starting point and offered it to Gard while trying not to move too fast.

"These are the spell components she is after." I said letting her read the note quickly and watching with my barely open eyes her own grow wider with each line. I have to say I took that reaction as less than good news and that helped rally my recovery a little more so I could explain the other key points I had learned so far.

"According to a Black Court vampire sorceress, those components are the basic elements of a potion to bring back the dead." I explained hoping Gard's experience was enough to fill in the blanks that I was making with a less than perfect explanation. "Best I can figure she has some plot to raise Harry from the dead, perhaps as a means to get him out of his contract of serving as the Winter Knight." Yeah that still seemed like weak reasoning to me, but it really was the best working theory I had at the moment.

"This note explains much, starting with why she targeted Marcone." She said refolding the note and handing it back to me. I have a feeling perfect recall is another of those divine gifts valkyries had but which the Norse legends never really focused upon since it probably did not shed a lot of blood or allow for much extra drinking. "You are correct about the ultimate use for this potion, but you have seriously erred on the target and scope of the spell based upon what each victim is expected to provide." Gard said looking at me with deadly seriousness she normally reserved for dying heroes.

"Okay from you look I gather that she wants to bring someone else back from the dead." I reasoned. "Then I can assume as well that it is someone really bad and that we would all be better off if the spell is never cast." Yeah for some reason no one ever wanted to bring Gandhi back to life; it was always someone like Genghis Khan. "So the simple answer is that if we can deny her the additional components she requires for the potion I figure we can stop this plan dead in its tracks." I said hopefully because this made the most sense. Components for a spell like this would not just grow on trees to be plucked at one's leisure.

"That would normally be true Molly Carpenter." Did I mention that when a valkyrie uses your whole name it sends shudders of dread running through your body as on some subtle level you understand that this is a call to Valhalla, even if you do not want to go? Personally I prefer my name be used in the same tone as reruns of Monty Hall and the Price is Right telling me to 'Come on Down' for something wonderful.

"This potion, however, is incredibly unique." Gard continued her explanation ignoring or use to my natural reaction. "The stories state that Death himself must provide the recipe and that it shall be uniquely based upon the being to be raised and the circumstances of his death. If you put together the implications you have learned so far you will understand not only who you face, but also who the next targets are likely to be." She said leading me along. "More important still… look to the third line and tell me what it says and through such who it refers to."

I took the note back from her and tried to focus my eyesight well enough to read my own scribbling. Thankfully with a word or two to jog my memory I had what she was looking for. "Then feast upon the bloody decadence like a Baron of Avarice." I said speaking the words aloud and beginning to get used to the pain in my head.

"And as girl from a good Catholic Family, what is the sin of Avarice?" She asked starting to annoy me.

"Greed." I answered since memorizing the seven deadly sins was one of my favorite parts of Sunday school. But it still took me a moment too long to put the clues together.

"Marcone!" Murphy said aloud to both Gard and I only an instant before my addled brain figured it out as well. As a signatory to the Seelie Accords, Gentleman Johnny Marcone had been bestowed with the title of Free Baron which I had forgotten until now. And if his lifestyle did not symbolize the epitome of greed and lust for power in Chicago then I would hate to meet the individual that did.

"Indeed, the second listed ingredient necessary is blood from my employer." Gard said in a very matter of factly tone. "That makes this business even more personal and aligns our fates it seems to see this situation through to the end."

"That's great to know, but you said you know who this is." Karrin replied sarcastically and obviously not thrilled by the inherent partnership. "Perhaps if you told us what you know about who is behind it instead of keeping these details to yourself and the impact to your scumbag employer then maybe we might be able to get a handle on what is going on."

Gard tensed and I thought there would be a fight, but something underlying in her knowledge let her overlook the slight and turn right to the subject just as Murphy demanded. "I will oblige you." Gard said in words and a way that filled me full of dread. "But I doubt it will provide you the insight and happiness through it that you are hoping for."

She paused and drew a breath. Why do they always have to start stories like they are the end of the world? Well other than those times when they actually might be the end of the world of course. "Through many lifetimes various beings of power have carved up this world and laid claim to its lands and people much as human farmers fence off their lands and lay claim to the cattle they keep contained." Oh yeah this is starting out good. The first words out of her mouth compared humans to livestock, which I guess coming from the Norse pantheon might not be so far of a stretch even if it was rather insulting to Karrin and I.

"Unlike other types of beings before their rise, her kind divided the world by the types of geography it contained and not lines drawn upon a map." She continued. "The very strongest claimed mountains, the next shared the seas, a few more the plains, and two the deserts. The younger generation and therefore weaker such as she who hunts you were left with little to pick from except the scraps of this world and her parcel claimed eventually was that of the swamps." Wow that really is a 'sucks to be you' kind of selection process.

"While the strongest eventually came into conflict with humans who bred rapidly and grew in knowledge unto the point that they competed for these same vital lands, the weaker had less call for violent interaction and turned instead to other pursuits." Gard explained as I tried to rally some more energy to eventually sit up without feeling like I was going to pass back out. "In the case of your enemy she turned to the human arts and accumulation of knowledge primarily finding your race to be a fascinating one. She happily avoided direct contact with the world at large except when it fell upon her doorstep."

"So she did have some dealings with humans?" I asked hoping this might provide more insight. If so that might mean there were records of her, and more importantly how to deal with and defeat her.

"Of course she did." Gard replied. "There is no part of this world where your kind does not hazard upon so occasionally either the bravest or the most foolish would stumble across her. Some she would take pity upon and teach lessons you kind had learned and all but forgotten, or heal those too sick to continue. And others who came upon her at a less agreeable time she would look down upon and destroy without a care leaving great piles of bones as warnings to others not to approach and disturb her solitude again." She paused to draw a breath. "Such a dual existence formed the basis for many of the stories of witches, wondrous healers, and vile monsters that lived in the heart of forbidden swamps."

I thought on this and knew such stories and myths often had a basis in fact so this hardly surprised me. It also did very little to expand upon what I knew in a useful way. Like Murphy, I was getting a little sick of this cat and mouse game.

"That is all interesting Gard but what are we up against?" I asked letting the annoyance drip with every word. I expected her to delay but she answered before my own words seemed to even stop resonating.

"You face a dragon of course as the first line of the potion and the missing reptile from the zoo should have hinted to you." She said with a total lack of emotion. "A dragon seeks your death child for the crimes it feels done to its honor."

It's a good thing I was already still sitting down and somewhat nearly horizontal as it allowed me to fall back over from shock without actually doing serious damage to myself in the process except for the bell clanging again. OW! I would say that I was in shock but that is like saying a tsunami made my clothes a little damp. I was unable to respond at all as my mind tried to process the enormity of what I had just heard.

Gard was content to let me work through this issue in silence as she stared at me with those judgmental eyes that had observed the deaths of thousands to select those worthy of Valhalla. Murphy was far more practical to the situation and kept pressing.

"You are not joking? You mean a real dragon?" She asked skeptically even though she had personally observed and lived through so much that such a concept should hardly seem irrational to her. "You are talking about the kind of thing that has the wings and the fiery breath and all that?" She asked a third time for clarity.

Gard turned to regard her. "You are basing your knowledge strictly upon the western world's view of such creatures. Most such beings of their kind do indeed fly but only a small few had flaming breath. The fact that so many stories speak of this type is because those who did battle with dragons tended to lose when they went up against such creatures so the beasts survived century after century to create even more such stories."

"Okay so no flames." Murphy accepted. "What does this one have instead?"

"She is master of the swamps so her powers manifest themselves as an extension of her domain." Gard explained. "She had domination over creatures of the swamp such as…"

"…the rats and the bats from the other night." Murphy finished immediately understanding where Gard was going with this.

"Indeed." The bodyguard replied. "It is fortunate we are not on her home territory or she would have such things as snakes, alligators, and wildcats that we would be forced to contend with as well. While none of these are impossible to overcome, they are not things that can easily be ignored out of hand either." And that was yet another understatement.

"Wait a minute." I said finding my voice at last. "I am pretty sure that I never had any direct dealings with dragons, and therefore can someone please explain to me how I managed to piss one off?"

"You do have Harry's gift Molly." Karrin tried to joke.

"Dresden has almost nothing to do with this except that by serving as his apprentice you are seen as an extension of him." Gard responded to the real question.

"Great so then Harry pissed off a dragon and it is now coming after me?" Well that is not overly surprising. I have to admit I expected his enemies to become my own given time, but really, a dragon?

"No." Gard put a halt to my mental wandering. "In this case it means that Harry's acquaintances are seen now as connected to you. That explains why my employer was on this list."

"And Mortimer Lindquist." Murphy added knowing that he too was an associate of Harry's.

"Yes." Gard replied. "The ghost talker would fulfill the fifth line Listen to the bloody secrets whispered by the spirits." She quoted the line verbatim without even needing to look at the paper. "This will give the being she raises a similar power when they awake."

"That is great, but again, why me?" I asked. "You said it is not Harry and I know I have not pissed off a dragon, at least not in any way that I can think of, so what has she got against me?"

"It is a blood feud child." Gard explained again. "The crime she seeks to rectify is not one you committed but one done unto her family by yours." Light bulb is ON!

"You are telling me that she is trying to kill me and people I know because my father…" I started.

"…killed her father." Gard said confirming my fear.

Dear lord the dragon was the daughter of the one my dad killed? Well that explained why she hated my family. "Why is she coming after me and not my dad?" I asked trying to figure the nuances out.

"With your father's injuries and surrendering his sword he is no longer deemed worthy of such vengeance." Gard replied and while it grated upon me to hear these words spoken about my dad, I knew the valkyrie did not say them in malice but merely as an explanation. "I suspect she watched and waited as their kind are prone to do and when you proved yourself a worthy challenge and equal to your father she sent you the announcement of the blood feud so you would be prepared." Yeah that really did not work how she planned it, but it was not like I could call a do over or anything.

Once again Molly you are up to your eyeballs in trouble and are way out of your league.

"Be strong child." Margaret Dresden's voice was reassuring and calm in my mind. "You have faced and beaten such odds before. Dragons tend to underestimate humans and you have shown a wonderful ability to destroy those who underestimate you."

The freaked out part of my mind wanted to snap back with something witty and harsh, but the confidence in me that Margaret offered was too much to ignore and certainly not something that deserved my cutting wit. She was quickly becoming someone I could lean on, even if she was just a partial spirit and even though I had never really wanted to lean upon anyone. I was glad she was in my mind.

"Alright so let's figure out who her next target is and go kick her ass from here to whatever swamp she came from!" I said with newfound determination and actually sat all the way up daring my body with my anger to try and disobey me. The wooziness fled knowing better than to challenge me on this action right now.

"Harry always said there are eight components in a potion." Murphy added showing me she knew more about the mystical side than I imagined. "You have mentioned three so far. What about the other five?"

"I believe I am the seventh." Gard said surprising me and reading the line aloud before I could look at the paper. "Steal the final drop of blood from the Angel of Death." Yeah I guess she would certainly qualify as an angel of death based upon her occupation. "The wings she tore from my back will provide her the sufficient means to fulfill that requirement."

"Okay that is four." Was all that Murphy said sticking strictly to business as she was prone to in a tense situation.

"Molly is the eighth." Gard explained further. "Her blood is most important because the blood of vengeance of the one who committed the crime against her family is the most important ingredient."

"So we keep her safe and this plan all goes to hell." Murphy answered.

"Unlikely." Gard replied. "She has faced you twice and left you to go free which means in her mind she knows there is some reason why you will come to her of your own accord and see this through to the end."

"Yeah, I'm really not seeing it." I replied. "I have no actual loyalty to either Mortimer or your boss and it seems they have a better chance of surviving if I stay away anyway so I do not see a reason to play her game. And no offense to you Gard, but I really don't think I'd come after you either." And while that sounded good my presence here and my healing put that last bit of logic at risk.

"The sixth line says she wants the one who held the bloody hand of God." Gard replied.

The implications struck home. The knights were known as the fists of God for they worked as his hands of vengeance here on earth. "You mean she is going after my father? He gave up his sword." I asked suddenly frightened. "I thought you said because of his injuries he was seen as no longer worthy." I actually stood up without any sense of swaying and thanked God for inventing adrenaline as I started to walk for the door.

"I admit that confused me as well." Gard said as she and Murphy also began to follow me. "But the wording can only refer to one who has carried the sword."

"Then it is me." Murphy said without even a hint of shock. "I held the damn blade and wish I had it now so I could plant it in her ass!" Her words reminded me I had a friend. And Murphy was someone I probably would seek to rescue.

I felt a sudden wash of fear that appeared from nowhere. It was overpowering and made me freeze in place like a frightened rabbit. I tried to draw a little magic to me to offer a spell of courage unto myself but I struggled to accomplish even that.

A bellowing roar broke over the building. It was something far too monstrous to be human and far too powerful to be anything less than nearly immortal. And even though I was inside a building sheltered from the moon's light outside, some deep part of me felt a shadow pass over us as it headed toward the city. And while I could not truly see it, the shadow had the bat-like wings of a dragon.

It took a few seconds after she passed for me to find the courage to step forward, but one step turned instantly into a run as I made it to the door. Normal human eyes would never have seen her dark form against the black sky at the distance she had already travelled, but I had the advantage of feeling emotion and could tell her course by the slowly dwindling aura of fear she carried with her.

I was happy to note she was not headed north toward where my family lived. Instead she made an arrow straight flight toward the northeast part of the city. This was not the residential part but rather an occupational section.

"Know the bloody scent of separated hearts eternally joined." The sixth line of the poem came to mind. That could only be two people. Wolves were one of the few creatures that mate for life and are therefore eternally joined. And the bitch was headed straight toward the university!

*Note: Sorry it has been so long since I updated. Very busy both with work and starting an MBA full scholarship. Just like you I HATE stories that start and never finish so I promise to you I will complete this one in the coming weeks. That being said I will also let you know this will be the last Carpenter Blueprints story for a while at least. 3 is a good number and if I get a chance to write I want to work on original characters for a while. I do thank you for those who have kept up and hope this story's conclusion does not disappoint. Best to you all….*


	16. Chapter 16

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 16_**

Harry Dresden is dead. I still did not want to believe that but I was starting to see it could indeed be true. And unfortunately for the city of Chicago in that case it meant that its greatest magical defender was no more. I had dreams of greatness one day, and objectively I had done some fairly impressive things in my rather short magical career; but I was not Harry. And faced with a dragon rampaging through the city, Chicago needed Harry Dresden.

Since I had no indications of his return I knew that at the very least, Chicago needed a wizard. And as much as I knew I was not in Harry's league, I also knew that I was the only real choice the city had. Sure I was not Harry, and at best if the White Council did not kill me, they were not going to select me to be the new warden for this town, but that did not mean I couldn't take on the responsibility all on my own. I no more needed the White Council's approval to protect Chicago than Harry had before they had made him a warden.

"Very good child, you are learning." Margaret Dresden's voice spoke approvingly in my mind.

"Learning?" I asked back wanting to make sure I was not interpreting her meaning incorrectly. "Don't you mean surrendering to the inevitable?" I asked somewhat jokingly because I was still less than thrilled to be taking on this level of responsibility.

"Hardly child." She replied with a touch of pride. "Surrender is not in your nature."

"I think you have a misguided view of me Margaret." I countered as I was not really comfortable with this type of compliment. Unfortunately its all the harder to dismiss when the thoughts originate within your own head. "I have no problems running away. In fact I think it is usually the smarter course than getting killed."

"You are lying to yourself more than you are trying to lie to me." Her voice was calm and reasoned. "I observed your battles in Mexico. I know what you chose to take on for Harry. I know that you did not expect to live when you accepted his request. But even faced with all of those dangers you chose not to run away once things got dangerous."

"That is because I did not spend any time thinking about it or focusing on what was happening around me." I replied. "I turned myself off from feeling anything, especially the fear that we were all going to die for nothing. Had I stopped and taken a breath then I would probably have been overwhelmed by everything taking place during the battle. That was not courage, it was a survival instinct."

"Is that what you truly believe about yourself child?" Margaret asked with an odd tone in her voice I did not recognize. "Why do you think such things?" She asked all too like Harry when he knew something that I did not.

I thought on this for a moment and considered if I was missing something and then finally decided it was the truth. I knew both the strength of my magic and its limitations. I had learned these the hard way very early in my career. "Not that long ago I was with Harry looking for Thomas when a black court vampire killed a security guard at a mall here in town. The sudden overwhelming emotions related to that single act of violence nearly paralyzed and left me helpless. That was only a singular rather violent death, yet the emotion of that event was too much for me to accept at the time." I explained and then drew a breath as I prepared to continue.

"How many equally violent deaths did I just experience in Mexico? I mean not just those of the vampires but my God Harry destroyed a few hundred with his first powerful gravity attack." I asked opening my memories up to catch only glimpses of dozens, maybe even hundred of mortals and vampires dying violently all around me. "I had to block all those out so that I could help Harry save his daughter otherwise I would have been completely useless to him. But had the choice been mine I would have run away as quickly as I could. It was that or be paralyzed again and killed which I would prefer not." I finished without a doubt of that conclusion in my mind.

"I notice you like music my dear." Margaret said throwing me for a loop as she completely changed subjects in the middle of our conversation leaving me confused.

"Well, yeah of course." I responded not understanding where this was going.

"And you have an eclectic taste for older songs considering how young you are child." Margaret replied.

"Blame your son for that." I said. "I swear his record collection had nothing newer than 1975 in it. I mean I can handle The Who, Led Zepplin, and The Eagles, but I had to draw a line at the Beach Boys?"

"Perhaps dear he merely saw the music as a refuge from the world gone mad." She replied. "He would hardly be the first one to need a lifeline back to reality when facing down some of the horrors he has done battle with. You cannot really begrudge someone that now can you?"

"No, of course not." I replied still unsure of what she was getting at. "But what does this have to do with Mexico and how I adapted to not become overwhelmed emotionally?"

Margaret waited for a moment before she chose to respond either expecting something more from me, or figuring out what she wanted to say herself. "It is actually very simple my dear. You did not really put all those feelings aside in the middle of your battle." She said matter-of-factly. "You felt those horrible deaths, each and every one, just as you had the security guard you spoke of earlier."

"No way." I said aloud I realized while shaking my head and recognizing that both Gard and Murphy would probably think I'm nuts by my outburst to an internal conversation. Thankfully they were both focused upon their own endeavors based upon the emotions I felt radiating from them so I turned back to my internal conversation. "I'm telling you there is no way I could have handled that level of emotion. It would have left me helpless or at the very least broken me."

"It is true that the old Molly would not have succeeded." Margaret admitted with a slight mental smile. "Thankfully I was there to help you through the worst parts of it."

"You were in my mind then?"

"Of course." She replied. "If you were going to be useful in the future I had to ensure there was actually going to be a future for you, heck who am I kidding it is 'for us,' so I walled off part of your mind from comprehending the emotions you were feeling while still allowing you to use their effects to power you magic."

"You manipulated my mind?" I asked in horror.

"Do not act like such an infant Molly." Margaret's spirit replied. "I merely guarded you and guided you so you could help Harry achieve his goal."

"But you controlled my mind!"

"No I did not." She replied. "I merely made the option of fleeing less desirable to you."

"And how is that any different?" I asked.

"Molly, you are starting to sound like those fear mongers in the White Council." She scolded gently. "I protected you child. I kept you from freezing up when others needed you. This allowed you to keep fighting and save the lives of your friends. It allowed you to help Harry do what he had to. You helped save the life of Harry's daughter. In part, because of you, and what I did for you, the Red Court has been destroyed."

I thought upon this and could not deny everything she said was indeed true. But by the same token I was not much of an ends justify the means type of girl, well unless I was the one doing the justifying that is. The thought that I had been mentally manipulated or controlled did not sit well and I could tell my annoyance was leaking out because both Murphy and Gard seemed to sense it and become less calm as well.

"Child, please understand that what I did was necessary for the survival of all involved." Margaret said in a much softer and impassioned tone of voice. "You were too young and inexperienced for what Harry was asking of you and the burdens he put on your soul. And Harry was too inexperienced in sensitive magic or even in emotions to understand this either. His entire plan was based upon this ignorance so I could not let all of you die, not when I had the means to save you."

Her logic made sense to me but I still felt violated spiritually. But hey, I knew it was important to hear her out. "What exactly did you do?" I asked as calmly as I could.

Margaret hesitated for some time and then started up with her tone of voice that was a mixture of mother and school teacher all at once. "You know that Harry has told you how emotions can fuel magic, correct? She asked me and I provided a mental nod in response.

"Harry is a regular wizard. He knows his own stronger emotions can fuel his spells, especially his destructive ones." She explained. "But he, and the majority of the wizards in the White Council, do not understand that emotions can fuel all types of spells, not just the violent ones. In fact, emotions provide additional fuel for magic of all types if the wizard in question is sensitive enough to make this connection."

"And for those deemed 'sensitive wizards' the emotions do not require coming from within the wizard even!" The shock of this statement along with its potential struck me almost like a physical blow and I knew I even shuddered and gasped aloud at this. "If the emotional environment is strong enough then a sensitive wizard can draw upon that as well."

I thought on that and wanted to deny it out of hand because it went far beyond anything Harry had ever taught me. But of course the first thing Harry had taught me is how little wizards really know. He said that it was important that we never get so wrapped up in our beliefs that we ignore things that are telling us the truths we cling to and are comfortable with are actually wrong.

Was it so far a stretch to assume that other beings' emotions could fuel my spells? I mean the phages that I had inadvertently called up fed upon emotions like fear so they had to be something tangible. A rather evil wizard who machinations I had run across had powered magic through the life force and despair of others. And heck, the White Council admitted it knew very little about this type of magic to begin with so why couldn't what Margaret was telling me actually be the truth?

And if that were true and I had used it to battle a host of vampires, would it be useful against a dragon? "Margaret, just exactly how do I use this type of power?"

Murphy drove my car because I had no illusions that I was in her league when the situation called for combat driving along city streets at night chasing a dragon. I was also still rebuilding my strength and while my chi was pretty tapped, I used the time as a passenger to pull in magic and think about what magic I had at my disposal that might help in this particular situation. My companions had the current emotional wellspring of Mount Rushmore so even if what Margaret had explained to me was true, they were too stoic of warriors to allow any leak of emotions that I might be able to tap into even if I knew what to do with it. Illusions were my current forte but I had trouble believing that they would be terribly impressive against a dragon. But it was not like my bolts of flame would serve me any better.

Gard sat quietly in the back seat with her eyes closed in some sort of meditative trance. The vibes she gave off were completely opposite of the ones that my Buddhist monk friend had when he sought inner peace. In those times he projected a sense of inner peace and harmony. But what I sensed from Gard was just the opposite. She was like a bowstring being tightened as I sensed a long call to battle building within her like the stead sound of a beating drum calling out oar strokes, or perhaps mead tankards beaten upon a great feast table. And then of course there was the internal fueling rage.

I had of course heard stories of Viking berserkers and how they could shrug off otherwise mortal wounds to keep fighting and taking down even more enemies around them. I had always thought that this was a naturally induced condition of battle; that or perhaps too much mead. What I was sensed within her now was that it was far more mystical than merely uncontrolled rage. To the outsider it might appear insanity, but within the warrior it was razor sharp focus and determination to inflict the maximum pain possible on the enemy regardless of the damage to self this caused. Oddly enough being this close and so being able to sense how she wrapped all her anger around herself like armor I realized that I could do this too. Emotions it seemed could be used to make a shield just like the way Harry's shield bracelet did so with normal magic.

Not that I was going to follow her lead and wrap myself up in anger mind you. I figured a single crazy axe wielding bitch was probably enough for the city at any one time. Harry always said it was better to keep you head with magic than give into the emotions, especially for me since I had a history of violating the Laws of Magic with the White Council in this area. But I knew I could be just like Gard if I chose. I contented myself instead by preparing my wands for the battle to come and selecting the spells I figured best suited for taking down the original swamp thing.

Murphy of course approached this from the opposite side of the street from Gard. She too locked down on her emotions, but instead of using them to armor herself with for the coming battle, she locked them all away and entered her calm and detached mode that I had felt with her before. The only exception to this was a deep seated sense of remorse that permeated all of her. It was not the kind of emotion I wanted to draw upon, I had enough of this myself, and in truth I felt like I was intruding upon her pain by even knowing of it so I said nothing.

Even with Murphy driving and ignoring distractions like stop lights where she could there was no way we were going to keep up with a dragon on the wing. At this time of night there was not a lot of traffic, but it was easy to see the path the creature had taken by the number of accidents its aura of fear had caused in its wake. Whether or not the drivers actually caught a glimpse of the creature or not really did not matter, in fact even if they did, by sunrise almost all will have convinced themselves it was just a dream or some trick of shadows. That will leave the auto insurance companies wondering for years to come what had caused the spike in accidents along this stretch of road this night. Better that I guess than life insurance companies wondering the same thing about their customers.

Sweet made an appearance as we raced through the streets, literally popping into existence in the back seat next to Gard. If the valkyrie even sensed her arrival her expression did not show it as she continued to ready herself for battle. The leprechaun looked at the valkyrie next to her and then turned an offered me a wide smile.

"I see that you are gathering them up rather nicely." She said with a nod and a wink. "Have you learned yet just what you are facing up against and why?" She asked.

"Yes I know it is a dragon and that this is some sort of sick revenge against me because my father killed her father." I said showing that I had the information and that she could talk freely. I hoped the leprechaun would have something useful beyond her quaint Irish accent to contribute to the conversation but instead she just looked at me for a few seconds as if she were digesting the news before responding. I sensed there was something else taking place here behind those cute little green eyes of hers, something with a sense of regret, but she pushed it aside and focused fully on me once more.

"Is that so?" She said becoming slightly more serious as if this course of action now before her was the one she was forced to follow. "There still be a few aspects of this that I cannot speak to ye about, but I will provide you all that I may."

"You know I am getting truly tired of people deciding for me how much I can know and how much to shelter me from." I said aloud as my frustrations burst forth freely. I guess I was not nearly as in control of my emotions as I hoped for.

Sweet merely cocked her head at my outburst, showing neither concern nor amusement. "Are you truly Molly girl?"

Something in the way she said that just added fuel to my fire. "Yes!" I answered. "First it was my mother protecting me from the possibility I had inherited magic. Then it was Harry trying to protect me from all the bad things in this world instead of helping to make me stronger so I would be ready if he was no longer around."

"I understand." She said with a slow nod of her head. "But perhaps they were merely trying to protect you. Perhaps they thought it was not the time to share certain things."

"You do not protect people by cutting them out of your life." I responded with years of frustration behind that. "You do not make them stronger by hiding them away behind walls of protection because someone feels they are unable or unready for the truth. Well guess what? I now have real evidence that the truth does not wait for others to grow up and be ready. Usually it arrives at its own time and jabs a stake through your heart because someone sheltered you from it. Now tell me what you know or get the hell out of my car!" Yeah I guess you can say I have a little pent up frustration on this particular subject.

Timing, however, was working against me or maybe for me at that point. Murphy's skills at driving had us to our destination by that point and while I might have preferred to have Sweet's knowledge to draw upon, with Billy and Georgia in danger I figured it was better to chance it than take time for another lecture or question and answer period.

I was of course correct on my assumption of where the dragon was headed because I knew in my heart that the target was either Billy the Werewolf or his nine month pregnant wife Georgia. Considering they both had just a few days ago been drugged and kidnapped by a seller of unique beings and had to be rescued by Murphy, I was thinking that losing each other now would probably be the worst emotional pain that either could face. That seemed to fit perfectly the level of loss the potion's ingredients spoke of. That and of course that wolves mate for life.

"Anyone have any ideas on how best to take this bitch down this time?" I asked the other ladies present at the moment.

"You must be committed to use everything at your disposal." Gard replied opening her eyes that now reflected a typhoon of rage and destruction within them. The way she said it made me shudder inside but I was not going to argue with her. "You cannot hold back your power when the time comes to use it or you will fail."

"Okay." I said and we exited the car. There was no further explanation. Just Harry's doctrine of hit them hard and fast I guess. And even Murphy seemed to accept this course of action Gard offered as the right one given the current circumstances.

I should mention that in addition to the proverbial wave of fear that the dragon's presence was excluding, panic was also evident around the area as well. Billy and Georgia still lived near the university where they had met and most of the other apartments and homes in this area also catered to the students who attended school. Those who lived nearby I could sense were all falling under the sway of these two effects and it would only take a single spark to let this get out of hand. I strengthened my own resolve with a spell of courage and then the four of us went dragon hunting.

When I say 'hunting' I do not mean to suggest there is any of the stalking silently or detailed tracking required for most animals. In this case it was like coming up to a bear in its den. You knew it was there, and you were pretty sure the bear knew you were coming for it as well.

In the present case the dragon had made its presence and current location known to us and the rest of the community by shearing away the front of the apartment building Will and Georgia lived in. The wood and brick rubble lay in a mound before the multistory building basically blocking off the lowest level but creating a treacherous ramp that allowed access to the second floor. This made for a delicate placement of our feet since the pile seemed ready to flow out from under us at any time but we each successfully reached the second level without tumbles or broken legs to show for it so I chalked this up as a minor victory.

Of course once we stepped into the hallway and found the wood beneath our feet start to sag I was not really feeling all that much safer. Thankfully the edges closest to the walls seemed firmer, at least enough to hold our weight, as we headed for the stairwell halfway down the hall.

I could immediately sense the building was saturated with some sort of magical spell. It was not a ward or even a detection spell as much as the feelings of an active combat spell still at work for some purpose I could not fathom. The look of confusion as I pondered this, however, must have been evident on my face as Sweet saw it from across the hall as she scouted ahead. Her small body and light footsteps seemingly perfect for this task, and she stopped for a moment to answer my unasked question.

"The dragon cast a spell of rot and decay upon the building to give those within something else to worry about as she planned her attack." Sweet explained to my satisfaction. Gard had said a swamp dragon could only access power relevant to its climate so I guess rot and decay were fairly natural. Enough so that the timbers and wood supports within the brick building had not stood a chance. And if the floors of the rooms in this building were anything like the smaller hallways then Billy would certainly have his hands full trying to make sure Georgia and their unborn baby made it out safely. He would undoubtedly suspect an attack was taking place, but there was little he would be able to do about it until he knew the others were safe.

I looked back at Murphy who had a pistol in each hand and was nodding with her head for me to get on with it while Gard, armed with broadsword that I have no idea where it came from – magic I guess, was moving up behind Sweet ready to cause her own unique form of mayhem.

We went up a few winding flights of stairs, these thankfully made from metal and concrete so quite a bit stronger, to the level that Will's apartment was on. Normally I took the elevator when Harry and I had come over here for game night and so did not think about where to stop. Thankfully Murphy had been here recently and knew the right level.

I reached for the handle looking once more at my companions and saw they were ready like I was to call down the hordes of Hell upon our foe if that was required. To hell with the handle I thought, then I kicked the door open and stepped to the hall looking toward Will's apartment part way down the hall. And at that moment I paused after taking only one step only to find the familiar dark cloaked woman standing in the middle of the hallways obviously waiting for our arrival.

"My time is precious and you kept me waiting." She spoke to me in a calm and confident though slightly annoyed voice of one who knows no fear. All she needed was to be puffing on a cigarette and this really would have set the mood. Of course maybe she could handle the whole smoke thing without the use of tobacco being a dragon and all.

"Well then be happy, your time has come." I said drawing my magic and emotions up into me so I could at least make a fine accounting of myself.

"Hardly, though I see you are gathering up the makings of an army for yourself." She smiled from under that cowl. Yeah I do not know how I knew that since I could not actually see it except that I was certain of it. "You do realize you are a few short if you plan to offer me any serious challenge?"

"Maybe…" I said more to keep her talking than to spend any time focused on her ramblings. Better I catch her off guard with an attack than she do the same to me.

"I must ask though." She said just as my power was almost full. "Are you purposely avoiding wondering about what I have done to those hybrid mongrels you consider friends because you are not as emotionally weak as Harry Dresden was, or did you just happen to forget about them at the moment?" Her cocksure demeanor held the twinge of uncertainty and inquisitiveness as did her emotions. And of course she did have a point.

I wanted nothing more at that moment to let down all my barriers, release the animal instincts inside of me and just attack her with everything I had. This would not be a berserker frenzy like Gard might employ for that was a conscious choice. I really wanted to dig down past reason and embrace the baser instincts from before man's evolution. Even Harry's discipline was probably not enough to prevent me from doing this.

But then I thought of Will…and especially of Georgia in her ninth month of pregnancy and that brought me up short. Even animals care for their young and that left me cold and drained away my rage. I could not afford to release this animal from within me until I knew they were safe.

"If you hurt woman or their child…" I began with no reason to further explain who I was talking about as I could sense she knew that instantly as well. The implicit threat was enough to communicate my thoughts on the matter as was my aggressive posture.

"Had I known this would be your reaction then perhaps I should have." She said in a calculating tone. Her words gave me hope that they were all still healthy and whole. "I focused instead on the boy since I only needed one of the two and he was more than obliging to throw himself at me rather than waste my time chasing one of them down."

No real surprise there. I figure Will was faced with the prospect of protecting Georgia and his baby and did the only thing he could do; try to buy them time to escape. Any alpha male would have done the same. That being said I was equally sure her statement was no boast. She had Will and meant him no good.

"Let him go!" I whispered with steel, no make that adamantium, in my voice.

"No." She replied back with almost a dismissive chuckle because in her mind we still offered her not actual threat. "Your little Wonder Woman Justice League is probably a teen boy's wet dream, but it still does not threaten me child. I am beyond any power you might…"

Sometimes you just gotta love how in the middle of a monologue the bad guy (or girl in this case) gets whacked. I wish it would have been from one of us, but with the cloaked bitch's attention firmly on the four of us and the hallway less than stable due to her decomposing magic we were all sort of limited in just what violence we could offer at that moment. But of course all our calculations failed to take into account the other important player we had overlooked.

There was a savage growl, a sound no human vocal cords could possibly make, as the only split second warning before the rotted wall halfway between the dragon and our group exploded as a body hurled through. Some small part of me knew that Will and Georgia's apartment lay just beyond that wall so I was not completely surprised except when I noted the attacker was much smaller and much less round than a nine month pregnant Georgia would be. Of course size and ferocity are not mutually exclusive and this case more than proved that point to us all.

Tera West's naked hybrid form landed only an instant in the hallway before springing forward once more directly at the dragon. Even the sagging floorboards where she hit did not slow her down as she seemed to instantly sense how much stress they could take and balanced just that amount upon them perfectly before converting the rest of her force to forward momentum at her target.

Her aim was so perfect that even without the time necessary for seeing and registering I knew she had to be using her canine sense of smell to track her target so effectively. As the floorboards broke away where she had landed for an instant Tera's claws were already grabbing hold of the dragon around her throat and propelling them both back out of the building to fall a few stories to the street below and out of our sight. The look of surprise on the cloaked woman's face as her hood fell back slightly told me she was just as caught off guard by this unexpected attack as the rest of us.

"Sweet go check out the apartment and make sure anyone inside is taken care of. Get them someplace safe." I ordered knowing that time was of the essence. I had no doubt Tera was fierce but I doubted she could stand toe to toe with a dragon for too long. That meant she needed backup. "Karrin, Gard, let's go." I said and found they were of like mind and had already turned back to the stairs which offered the safest and quickest route back to the street.

It took maybe half a minute for the three of us to get down stairs and through the ruined hallway, down the shifting rubble pile, and back to the street but I feared even that would be too long. Sure Tera had just demonstrated it was possible to surprise a dragon, but that would quickly wear off and then the tables would turn. I just hoped we could get there before the dragon had the upper hand and killed her. Surprisingly I was wrong.

Tera West was truly the example of someone releasing the base animal side as we found her still straddled over the cloaked woman keeping the dragon on the defensive. Tera's extended canine jaws sought out her opponent's throat from a multitude of angles while her clawed hands raked any other target or soft spot that became available.

For her part, the dragon was forced to fight purely defensively ensuring that one arm at least always protected her throat and face. Alternately the other appendage would try to come around and project a spell but between Tera's claws and jaws this would inevitably be batted away or forced to provide protection somewhere else so never released the magic it contained. Finally, succumbing to this realization that she needed to change the battlefield the dragon did call out words laced with magic power that did not require her aarms to focus.

"To me!" The command echoed across the street, carried and enhanced in part by magic. I knew this was not a mental domination attack but instead just a magic order. And those awaiting the call began to shuffle forward from the dark patches nearby.

"Molly?" Murphy's incomplete question hung in the air for a second as she looked at the dozen or so new arrivals we had missed spotting earlier. Trained and professional as always Karrin kept her guns shifting from target to target, focusing mostly the one closest to us, which was moving away, and then to the first one likely to reach Tera's side.

I understood her concern in an instant as the forms were undoubtedly human in appearance and Murphy had this thing about harming people even if she was no longer a cop. But I knew immediately that while they each looked human, or more appropriately each looked like the same exact human, they were in fact mystical creations made of dirt.

"They are golems Murphy not human." I said with a sense of confidence that overrode any skepticism she may have. "Take them out." I ordered and could see her nod. Gard of course needed no such command as she was already rushing the closest on her flank with that lovely broadsword swinging high for a decapitating attack.

The valkyrie's target must have had a self defense clause instilled in the magic spell that created it for it seemed to sense the attack and spun around in time to defend itself. Oddly enough when I had faced such creatures in the past they had been slower and ponderous than what I had just seen displayed. The ones we faced now were demonstrating speed and agility much like those of a ninja, or maybe an aikido specialist.

As the blade descended the golem spun into a perfect double arm high block, the very same technique Murphy had taught me in aikido to protect my head from blows, and caught the sword perfectly in the V created by its crossed arms. Normally this technique was used against clubs and such and only as a last defense against bladed weapons as they would still cause massive damage to the body, but in this case it was equally effective in that the thick clay that made up the golem stopped the blow's momentum before the broadsword could sheer all the way through its arms. In fact a follow up tug from the creature nearly disarmed the valkyrie and she had to instead twist and retract the blade by taking a step back to prevent losing it.

The attack was also enough for the others of its kind to register that there were additional opponents and two thirds broke away from coming to the dragon's aid and instead turned toward us. While this might be seen as some by a partial victory in distracting them from their initial target, the four remaining golems would certainly provide the necessary interruption of Tera's attention for the dragon to call upon her magic and then the fight would be over.

A pair of blasts from right next to me told me that Murphy was joining the fight as well. The bullets slammed into the chest of the closest golem closing on us but even with their expanding rounds neither did any significant damage or even caused the creature to slow. The third shot, a single blast to the head, was more successful for while it was off center from the between the eyes point Murphy was aiming for, it caught the forehead right above the creature's left eye where the magic word 'emet' had been engraved to bring the creature to life. Karrin's shot erased the first 'e' – Hebrew writing being right to left – changing the word in an instant to 'met' which means death in Hebrew, killing the creature in the traditional, albeit through modern technological means, way.

Even with that success, and the fact I could see Gard still fighting and likely to destroy her own opponent, I knew we would never win unless we could take down all of these creatures at one time. That meant it would take magic and I was the one best suited in that regard. Thankfully I already had pulled power to me and now I let it flow forth.

Did I mention I am not Harry? Once or twice at least right? Okay so if you are expecting a flash of powerful blowing crap up type magic you have come to the wrong place. I am the much cuter and smarter perky wizard apprentice so I do things my own way. Thankfully in this case I even had experience to draw upon.

Part of the creation process of a golem is a constant beat or harmony that replicates the living heartbeat and brings the creature to life. With the help of a violin that I never learned to play, I once destroyed one of these creatures trying to kill me by strumming loudly and off key. Ergo, yes I was forced to learn Latin, if I provided equally bad music over a much larger, hence louder, area, the effect should be the same. That is at least what my experience told me was the correct answer.

The neighborhood suddenly erupted in a cacophony of sounds. I started with a memory of a practice session of Butters playing polka in his one man band suit, added some bagpipes that sounded more like a bag full of cats being beaten with a wet towel, and then for good measure included the screeching violin sounds that had worked so well for me before. Did I mention that being able to create illusions and sounds can really be useful at times like this? I even thought about including some lyrics from a certain Canadian teen boy heartthrob but that seemed far too cruel to inflict upon the neighborhood and the golems as well.

The initial effect of my spell was instantaneous. All the golems froze where they were as the discordant music assaulted their underlying orderly commands. Of course it was almost as bad for those of us living as well as I was playing this rather loudly. Gard finished off her opponent before covering her ears and Murphy wanted to take down another but the noise was too great for her to concentrate and get off a shot with the precision she required.

Fifteen, thirty, then sixty seconds passed as the disharmony continued likely intimidating and sending any neighborhood cats in heat fleeing. But the ultimate effect on the golems was exactly what I was looking for. As the minute finished the remaining near dozen or so collapsed into piles of dirt or clay, once more inanimate and posing no danger beyond merely tripping hazards. I let the sound drop at that instant so we could focus on the real target while Tera still had her pinned down.

Unfortunately as fast as Tera West was, a dragon is even faster. My audio attack had affected both combatants as well; dragons it seems have just as superior sensitive hearing as wolves. But as soon as the sound faded, the cloaked woman was able to shake off its effects faster than the wolf and with a burst of raw magical force flung the hybrid off of her and send the little woman cart wheeling into the sky. The three of us charged but she had no problem rising up off the ground; actually levitating to a standing position which I probably would have found cool under other circumstances.

She continued to float upward ten feet or more above the ground watching us close on her and then letting her eyes record Tera West's body come crashing back to the ground thanks to gravity upon some dumpsters. For the record if you are wondering, if you drop a wolf out of a window they do not always land on their feet.

"Fleeing already?" I taunted because I could sense that is what she intended to do. I could see that despite her lack of comparable power Tera had succeeded in landing some fairly significant blows. Blood did not appear to be flowing from the dragon but there were certainly tears in the cloaked woman's clothing and she did not seem nearly as steady and confident as she had been in the hallway minutes before when she was challenging us.

She stopped and smiled down at me and then each of the others, including Tera who was now staggered out of the dumpster and was limping back but obviously determined to attack again. "All the necessary pieces are not yet assembled. These will be required before we can have the final epic battle you seem to think is coming." She said as her eyes turned directly toward me in an obvious challenge. "Only through suffering will you get stronger. I think you will need to be stronger so I think it is time to make your suffering even greater. Let us see my dear what the future holds." She laughed and flew away before any of us could stop her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Life After Death**

_Chapter 17_

"Harry Dresden is dead." Tera West said spitting a gob of blood onto the sidewalk at her feet. "He must be or he would have already found a way to destroy this creature that challenges his territory."

I must admit her blunt, animal-based viewpoint totally succeeding in dismissing my internal efforts at that precise moment to deny this particular possibility and thereby piqued a sensitive spot with me. So instinctually I really wanted nothing more than to call her out on that fact as her words still hung in the air and provide her with a taste of my own wrath.

However, having witnessed Tera's savagery only minutes ago and combining that with the fact that she was currently standing totally naked in front of us and without the slightest shred of self consciousness sort of knocked me off that course of action. In fact, enough that I did not make an issue of her comments at all and instead focused on the more immediate concerns she had raised. It was not that I was into her or anything, but I mean one can hardly miss that she really had no sign of body fat at all on her body and that her eyes looked crazy enough to be a warning.

"You did not do so bad on your own." I acknowledged with a nod to the skill she had demonstrated hoping to calm the crazy. "And we took down her army of golems at least so the next time we cross paths I figure we have the power to bag her and mount her head over a fireplace somewhere." I guess that was not technically politically correct to provide this kind of hunting lodge image to an animal hybrid but Tera took no notice of it or let the comment go without making it an issue.

"My actions are unimportant as I failed to protect my pack." She said spitting another gob of blood and showing that only the end results of any situation matter to her kind. "I successfully protected Georgia and her unborn child but could not stop that beast from taking Will. The girl's pup will be born soon but I am unsure the female will survive the birthing process if she thinks that her mate has been killed. Your kind has lost much of its need to survive…you humans have grown weak."

"Well then tell her that he is not dead and that we will be bringing him back home in time to see his child born." I said with a tone that was thoroughly convincing which caused Tera to look at me with her head cocked seeking further confirmation much like a sheep dog looking for a command. I decided to explain the situation enough to ease her conscience and then get onto recruiting her for my purposes. "The dragon needs him alive until she casts her spell of resurrection and she still has one or two more people to collect before that can happen. I know because according to her I will be the last one she picks up for this little spell of hers."

"That makes no sense. Why did she not take you a moment ago when she had the chance?" Tera asked. "No animal would leave wounded prey when they are vulnerable."

I guess wolves would not understand the concept of torturing an enemy so the dragon's reasoning was foreign to her. "She wants to hurt me slowly as a way of getting back at my family for the hurt she felt." I explained. "She wants my pain to last until I beg for it to end."

"Then we must track her back to her lair or else set a trap for her before she collects the next one. That way we can free those she has already taken." Tera replied coming to the obvious conclusion and with a tone that bespoke that by merely saying something it would make it happen. Life must be easy as a wolf.

"That would be a great plan if we actually knew who the next target was." Murphy piped in bringing us back to reality before turning her attention back fully to me. "Unless you have some idea kid, I'm thinking the best we can do is sit and wait for her to come after you. This would give us the advantage of building a trap for her rather than rushing off and doing something rather Harry-like." She had only the briefest hint of a smile of equating Harry-like with rash and stupid, if effective, in her mind.

Murphy was right in so far that I did not know with any certainty who the next target would be with certainty. Sure I had the list and could make some assumptions but hey I was way out of my league here just trying to play catch up and figure out what she was planning. And the idea of building a trap that could take advantage of all of our strengths really was the smartest idea we had but it would mean leaving those captured at the dragon's mercy until we fought the battle. And even if we won it might not mean we could find them, at least not in time for Georgia's baby to be born.

Like Harry I must admit that I really am not a fan of letting your enemy pick time even if you pick the place when they come for you. There is an inherent advantage of throwing them off their time schedule. So the even better plan would be to combine Murphy's two options. Building a trap around the next target would provide us all the same advantages if we could figure out who the next target was going to be.

But to figure that out I needed someone smarter than me as far as magic was concerned and unfortunately those people not willing to kill and eat me on sight would primarily be members of the White Council, a group that it was in my best interests to avoid for the present time at least since they would be forced to just kill me if we crossed paths. But hey the Council and the big scary monsters were not the only game in town and a quick look at Murphy and the equipment she carried gave me an idea.

"Murph give me your pen and notebook." I said pointing to the ballpoint and cop's notepad she had in her shirt pocket like any good detective probably did out of habit the world over. I figure she had so gotten use to carrying them over the years that it was still natural for her to do so even though she was no longer a cop.

"Tera you may want to go find something to wear if you are going to stick around with us until we get Will back. Your current attire will draw a bit more attention from civilians than is in our best interests." I said with only a glance her way as Karrin opened the pocket on her shirt and extracted the items requested. For her part Tera merely shook her head at more 'human foolishness' but then scampered off and did as I suggested. God I would pay really good money to move like she did!

Murphy handed me the pen and paper without any question other than a slightly raised eyebrow but I was not wasting time explaining. "Please go stand over there and turn your cell phone on. I am pretty sure you are about to get a very important phone call that may just have the answers we require." Karrin looked at me quizzically then shook her head about wizard foolishness and did as I asked.

I smiled and began to write a few words on the page in my hand. True to my prediction not five seconds after I finished Karrin's phone went active it began to chirp fairly loudly. Personally I was expecting Murphy would have a ringtone of 'Kung Fu fighting' or maybe the theme to Starsky and Hutch but it was just the normal, generic one for her brand of cell phone. I guess having to replace them all the time because you work with wizards makes you learn to accept the bare basics where electronics are concerned.

Murphy did not even get a hello off before we could tell the other party was speaking to her. "Molly it's for you." Murphy said confirming what I already knew. "It's that girl Ivy." The look on her face was priceless as she put together that I knew Harry's secret in this case as well.

"I know Murphy." I said confirming this was happening just as I expected. "You are going to have to talk for me or I'll fry your cell phone the way I'm feeling right now." Even with a dozen feet or more between us I was worried that in my emotional state I would still do it so I stepped back a few more feet for safety sake.

"She said she has done everything for you that she can." Murphy began. "She even sent you…"

"Bullshit!" I interrupted before she could finish whatever Ivy had told her to tell me. "Tell her I helped keep her alive just like Marcone did and that she owes the both of us and now it's time to pay the check!" I said letting my anger flow. That was probably not smart on my part as The Archive could trash me with little more than a thought, but dammit we needed what she knew. "And I do not care what she says she sent. Right now we have nothing and we god damn expect better from our friends!"

There really was no need for Murphy to pass along my message as I had been loud enough for the phone to pick it up even at this distance. However, something I said must have struck a chord as after my rant Ivy and Murphy spoke back and forth without me for a few moments. Murphy was resigned mostly to just yes's and no's. I could see by Karrin's body posture that whatever was being said was something important but had no clue because what was being communicated was happening so rapidly and I did not want to interrupt at the wrong time when being silent was smarter.

Two minutes and ten seconds later Murphy hung up her phone after nodding to it in obvious agreement with Ivy's plan; whatever that was. I have no clue why people do that since the other party can't see the action, but Karrin obviously was one of those who did it naturally and now was not the time to ask. She powered it off, even going so far as to take the battery out, and then walked back over to me with more than a little shock showing on her face.

"Ivy said she will be here in twelve hours, maybe less, and says she has a suite at the Hyatt Airport hotel where we can meet her. She will inform the staff that they are to grant us entry to her rooms." Karrin said calmly but obviously as shocked by the news of The Archive's arrival as I was.

This was great news as far as I was concerned once the shock wore off. The Archive was world-class power and if not stronger than the dragon we faced, at least she would give the bitch something serious to worry about especially with the rest of us helping backing her up. That is of course if she was willing to act which supposedly went against the Archive's mantra of observance only unless she was personally affected.

"Did she say she was willing to help us?" I asked wanting to make sure I understood exactly what was being offered before making any incorrect assumptions.

"Yes." Karrin replied. "She said she now has a personal investment in this issue." She paused as she seemed to be concentrating. "And she also told me to tell you that you should not waste the next twelve hours playing with your coloring books but should go save the only person she still needs to collect." She said obviously repeating word for word what she had been told even if it made no sense.

I almost made a smart assed reply at the comment which was so out of character for the Archive. It really made no sense for her to tease me like that since she was younger than me and therefore closer to coloring book age. But then I realized Ivy was not one to use words frivolously and was instead sending me a message. It took only a split second to understand it before Karrin's actual words stuck home and the color drained from my face.

"We are leaving NOW!" I ordered everyone and without a thought took off running back to the car letting the rest run to try and keep up. Up until that very instant I had thought Harry's death was the worst possible thing I might ever face in my potentially long life as a wizard. I suddenly knew just how wrong I had been in that assumption.

With Murphy behind the wheel and the rest of us packed in like sardines we made good time fracturing many speed limits and traffic lights, but it was not nearly good enough as far as I was concerned. I found myself asking Murphy for the time every few minutes until she growled at me to calm down. Yeah that was not going to happen! The stakes were such that even seconds were far too precious to me and my emotional concern seemed to leak out and cause all the others in the car to feel similar.

They each sat silently emitting nervousness in their posture and furtive glances in my direction; even Ms. Gard which seemed strange considering battle and death were like old friends to her. Murphy, as usually for her, converted this excess emotional energy to action and drove as only a cop could through the streets to get to the destination I had told her was about to be attacked. I wanted to be wrong but with what Ivy had passed along there was no way that I could mistake the next target.

Little Harry, my youngest brother and not actually related to my mentor which in retrospect makes the whole 'little' thing kind of odd, had demonstrated an odd talent for precognition in magical terminology. Of course in my household where faith served as the cornerstone the term used would be a gift of prophecy but I digress.

During one of my solo outings this 'gift' became apparent as Little Harry kept providing me clues to my future from various coloring books that he marked up for me. Unfortunately I only figured all this out in retrospect rather than when I could have really used it.

Since that time I had kept an eye on him and found this skill manifest itself a time or two more, always when someone he loved was in danger. I even heard he had made a picture of Harry and I standing on a pyramid. Like the fact that angels guard our house I was not particularly surprised that this was one of those things better not talked about beyond the family, so we rarely did with only one other I know of.

Only myself, mom, dad, and Father Forthill knew about Little Harry's gift. But now it was obviously someone else had a means of learning this as well. I knew the good father would keep his vow of silence and my parents as well but somehow the secret got out. The hint Ivy gave me in referring to coloring books and remembering that one of the remaining ingredients of the potion was "knowing what the future holds" left little doubt in my mind that the final target before me was my younger brother.

I asked Murphy the time again and ran the calculation in my mind hoping we would get there before anyone left. I figured with angels guarding the house even a dragon would give pause before attacking so Little Harry would be as safe at home as he could be anywhere. And the same rules applied for his school since like me, he too was enrolled in a good Catholic private school that had more unseen security. That meant the only window of opportunity the dragon had was when my mom drove him back and forth, which was right about now if she still kept to her schedule. I only prayed that Charity Carpenter would be running behind for once.

But of course that was not to be. Charity Carpenter had never in my memory been late getting kids out the door for school and I doubt anything could make her short of there being some supernatural event, and even that probably would not delay her more than five minutes at worst. I told Murphy not to even slow the car as we drove past my house noting that the family van was not parked in the driveway where it would be. But still according to the clock they could only be a minute or two ahead of us! With a little bit of luck we would get to them first.

Then we all felt the shadow of the beast fly over us and the immaterial sense of fear that emanated from it. My increased sensitivity to such things made my body shake but my determination to save my family overrode any need to cast a spell of bravery on myself this time. Instead I focused on my rage and prepared to unleash Hell itself to save those I cared about. I would not let harm come to more of those I loved.

But then there is Chicago traffic…

The red light at the next intersection slowed us down but it was the cross traffic of early morning commuters heading to work that stopped us in our place. Some part of my mind registered that the cause was the local sanitation department working this area condensed two lanes of traffic down to one. Murphy wanted to do something but even with her cop training there was nothing she could do except come to a full stop as well even though I saw her glancing at the sidewalk with consideration etched on her face.

It took an additional millisecond to understand we were not going to start moving anytime soon so I was out the door and running down the street with Karen calling my name before I even realized the decision I had come to. Pleased with my instincts I did not even turn to look back but put my head down and ran as fast as I could, thanking Harry…my Harry…for insisting that I focus as much on training my body as I did on my magic. Course, the adrenaline helped but the practice did make me arrive two blocks later with still enough breath to shout "NO" at what lay before me.

My mom's van is not all that remarkable, in fact it looks like dozens of others on the streets, unless of course you have ridden in it a few hundred times over the past few years. Therefore I had no problem recognizing it as it currently was sitting on the sidewalk half a block ahead with all the windows shattered out and the top peeled back like some grotesque sardine can.

I ran faster, happy to note that while the roads may be clogged, especially with rubbernecking as drivers looked at the remains of my mom's van, that the sidewalks were still mostly empty and so offered little challenge beyond the occasional trash can, mailbox, and persons walking their dogs. It also allowed me to see a woman's body lying next to the van that was wearing the same coat I had bought for my mother two Christmases ago. I found even more speed in my stride.

I stopped six feet from her, not because I was particularly afraid to learn if she was hurt or even dead, but rather because I now had that familiar feeling that I was being watched with a perverse sense of amusement. Instead of focusing on my mom like I wanted to, I turned and looked up at the roof across the street, finding the familiar cloaked woman holding Little Harry one handed out in front of her and ready to drop my brother.

"Very good child, you are learning." She said approvingly of me. I guess the fact that I had stopped and considered things rationally made a necessary impression with her but of course impressing her was not what this was about. I did have plans to impress her, just not in this way.

I pulled magic to me and produced a flicker, only a flicker, of flame in my palm and raised it toward her. Yes, it was small, but it burned white hot and nearly glowed with all the anger and emotion I was slowly feeding it. At that moment I bet I could have cast a flame blast that might have even impressed Harry.

"Give me my brother bitch and you better hope he is unharmed." I said in deadly seriousness of a whole new level of threat and a promise of pain if she did not do as I ordered. Her left eyebrow rose just slightly in obvious respect for my unspoken power.

But with a word she put a shield up between us, a shield that had a human sized gap right in the middle of it that Little Harry's body was used to plug. "Take your shot child." The cloaked woman taunted me. "My heart lies bare to your power. You need only blast it through your brother to destroy me." She said making sure their hearts aligned perfectly for the shot she offered to me as she smiled.

And of course I could not take such a shot. I wanted to. God help me I truly wanted to kill this bitch. But the flame in my hand withered out before her eyes. Not at that price. I could not be responsible for killing someone, or helping kill someone I…

"Ah what a disappointment you are little girl." She said clucking and shaking her head. "I had such high hopes for you and each time you have only left me disenchanted with your kind."

"Because I would not willingly kill someone I love?" I asked.

"Indeed - To do what needed to be done." She replied. "But it appears your master never trained you to make the really important choices. He left you weak and others will again suffer for this mistake on his part."

"What is it you want?" I said with a sense of total defeat and dropping to my knees in exhaustion. The sudden pain as they hit the concrete kept me focused and made me notice my mother was breathing at least before I turned back to the cloaked woman standing atop the building.

"I would think my goal by this time to be obvious even to you." She said with a shake of her head.

"No." I stopped her. "What do you want in exchange for my brother?" I said to be as clear as possible. There was also an unmistakable tone in my voice that I would agree to almost anything to get him back safe and sound…because deep down I knew I would.

She stopped and looked at me askew again for a moment before dismissing me. "An interesting offer I admit, but alas I need someone with superior vision to ensure the spell's success." That made sense of course. Potions required an aspect tied to the sense of vision so there had to be some sort of magical enhancement of this sense. Using someone who had the ability to see more than normal would help make the spell all that more powerful which of course is what she required.

"What about wizard sight?" I offered hoping she would accept this as an acceptable trade.

"That is hardly a fair exchange of value for one who can glimpse the future." She replied dismissing me. "You would have to do much better than that if you think you are going to tempt me with a deal now that I have what I truly require."

I had to admit she was right. While wizard skills were not all that common among humans and therefore wizard sight was equally rare, precognition was far more unique. What I offered is sort of like exchanging a ruby for a garnet. So what I needed to offer was a diamond for the ruby. But what would be better than precognition? And then it came to me…

A slow smile lit across my face as the cloaked woman began to turn away. "Wait…Have I got an offer for you…Something even you will not be able to turn down."

I sat there for a few moments after the cloaked woman and I concluded our business. She took Little Harry with her as insurance, but had agreed to my terms and even offered me a path to success. The deal left me cold, kneeling on the ground and cradling my mother in my arms. Blood matted her scalp into a sticky mess and there was already some bruising evident on her hands and neck. She had obviously put up one hell of a fight. I do not care how powerful you may be, you do not threaten one of Charity Carpenter's kids and expect her to stand meekly by.

And then I sensed a second presence; one that I had encountered before but did not want to acknowledge now.

"You cannot have her." I said turning and looking into the familiar face of Death. He looked once more like Captain Smith of Titanic fame rather than the Grim Reaper but regardless of the face he wore, what was underneath the grandfatherly visage was undeniable.

"You may find comfort that I have not come for your mother at this time." He said in a voice that was actually calming rather than the freaky or sinister one you would expect. "But know that were I to do so though even your powers, as impressive as they are, would not stop me from my assignment."

"Then why are you here?" I asked ignoring yet another challenge to my skills.

"I am here because you called to me." He replied.

"I think you got your numbers mixed up." I joked. Sure it's not like I have not had a focus on death lately, not just Harry's possibility but my own as well thanks to a dragon for an enemy.

"I think not." He replied without a sense of humor. "You see in my particular line of work it is bad form to visit the wrong customer. It tends to cause people to doubt that my word is final in this area. Those who have encountered me performing my duties me and lived to speak of it tend to make others think this is common. Rare is the one who escapes my hand."

"Then explain Elvis!" I said with a laugh. Unfortunately the look I got in response told me that Thanatos was probably more of a Big Bopper fan than of The King.

Silence floated between us at this point. It's not like my mind was not racing with lots of potential things to say, but there is only so much you really want to say to Death. It's not like you want to become friends or anything as that makes for truly awkward holiday parties when he shows up invited. And of course there are the things that you _don__'__t_ want to say to Death as well.

"You still wish to avoid the uncomfortable subject even though with every passing moment your very soul screams out for an answer to release you from this pain." He said more or less reading my mind and shaking his head in obvious pity.

Did I ever mention I am not a fan of being pitied? In fact it pretty much pisses me off. "Fine! Is he dead or not?" I said not naming Harry directly as Death obviously knew who I was talking about.

He turned his full gaze upon me and if you did not know then yes, Death is not really one of those being you want to have a stare down with. Oddly enough there also is no ability to Soulgaze him either. I suspect that is because he does not really have a soul. Death is not a living being so much as a force, not of nature, but of existence.

"I am not here about that particular subject. I do not respond to inquiries where the questioner already has the answer he or she seeks." He said in deadpan, pardon the pun, seriousness.

I already had the answer to that question? I could feel my brow furrow in confusion but only for the moment it took him to continue with his next sentence and cause me to refocus.

"Since you learned of its power to restore life to the dead you have prevented yourself from fully considering these implications. You think it darkness, or a violation of your precious Laws of Magic. I can assure you that it is not within those boundaries." He said with a sly enticement in his words that caught me completely off guard.

"What do you mean?" I stuttered. "I have not been considering how to use…"

"Really?" He interrupted. "The thought of using this spell yourself never crossed your mind?" He made that tsk tsk tsk sound like a disapproving school teacher. "I thought during our previous encounters I sensed in you someone much more practical than the average White Council wizard. It's a pity I was mistaken. There is much the world and you yourself could benefit from our association." He began to turn away. Yeah maybe it was all a dramatic show but he had sparked my curiosity so I had to know the rest.

"Fine." I said. "What would it take for me to use the spell myself?" I asked. "What deal with the devil would I have to make to bring someone back?"

He stopped and looked back at me again with a smile…well yes… a smile of Death. "The components required are all the same for you as it would be for your opponent." He said increasing the smile. "The items are not so much a potion as they are conditions of a deal, and since I made the offer I care not which one of your chooses to fulfill the bargain in the end as long as I get what I am due." Yeah, I really did not like that smile and the way he seemed to wear it so comfortably. But even still that could mean…

"There is however one notable exception." He brought my inner budding excitement up short. "While most aspects merely require some blood of the victim not their life, a pint or so a piece is sufficient, the base element to accomplish the casting is inviolate. A life must be offered in exchange for the return of one." He said ensuring I knew just what the particular stakes were for this game. "And that life must be blood descended of the being in question." He finished with an odd twinkle of amusement.

Mom moaned on my lap and as we both looked down at her for a moment to see the cause of her distress by the time my eyes raised back up Death was no longer standing before me. His words though had stuck with me and the implications of just what it meant.

Charity was just regaining consciousness when the others I had left behind finally made it through traffic and pulled the car up alongside to me. Murphy, the only one who had ever personally met my mother, at least that I was aware, gave me a brief flash of a concerned look but I shook my head to say not to worry too much. While I waited I had used my chi skills to check out the extent of Charity's injuries, but other than having her bell rung and the visible bruising I had already mentioned, my mother was in pretty good condition for a middle aged woman facing off against a dragon. There are times, not many for sure, but certainly ones like right now, when I am proud of her passing along her genes onto me.

"Molly?" Her eyes fluttered open and showed obvious surprise at seeing me here since I was supposed to still be confined to a bed in a hospital halfway across town.

"Ummm…yeah...about that…" I started to try and make up some excuse using the same voice I had dozens of similar times throughout my teenage years at home.

Then Charity's eyes grew wide and she forced herself up to her elbows as her knees bent preparing to stand. "HARRY!" She said suddenly as her mind now raced and caught up to everything going on. She began to try to stand but I held her back and this became a contest of wills where only my leverage and a bit of magic aimed and suggesting she calm was able to overcome her in this struggle.

"She got him mom. She took Harry before I could get here." I said as I held onto her. "But we are going to get him back." Did I mention my mom is a solid wall of muscle beneath her otherwise small frame? She resisted me still and then turned that force into hugging me just a fiercely. "I promise mom we will get him back."

"Why? How?" She asked in a near panic.

Well that was not really a question I wanted to answer since she was probably not going to approve of just what I had in mind anyway. Besides, what I was currently planning was probably just and dangerous as facing off against an angry dragon so the less I explained to her or the other the better I was going to be. "Don't worry." I said trying to offer a confident smile as she looked up at me. "I have a plan."

"You sound like a combination of your father and Mr. Dresden." She said in cool response that almost made me smile at the comparison. "And by combination I am talking only about the part of their collective planning that always ends in someone bleeding rather profusely." Wow talk about a negative outlook! I am sure that on at least one occasions Harry and dad might not have gotten hurt too bad… not that I can recall it at the moment but I have to be sure it occurred just based on their number of outings. Maybe like agreeing who carved the turkey one Thanksgiving or something…No…probably not. Or maybe it was on a trip to the store?

"Mom, please I can handle this." I said trying to stay focused. "Go home and I will take care of it."

"If you think I am going to sit home while your brother is being held by who knows what…"

"A dragon mom…"

"Dragon?"

"Yeah…in fact the daughter of the one that dad killed." I replied. "She has sort of this personal family vendetta against us so I figure no reason pissing her off any further by bringing forth the rest of our clan."

"I understand and agree. Your father would never accept just sitting at home and we both know he is not healthy enough for this. And your brother Daniel has it in his head that he is taking up your father's sword, but between you and I, I think he has a ways to go yet." She replied and I could do little but smile and agree though I had seen Daniel in action and in my opinion I think mom was being overprotective rather than objective on this subject.

"So I agree it is not the rest of our clan. It is just me. Our home is just a few miles from here. We can stop by the house and get my armor and hammer on the way." I had seen that look in Charity's eyes before and knew I was not going to win this particular argument. In a way I even had to admit was glad for her to be along. I felt a little more complete knowing she was nearby.

But that did not mean I was willing to have my authority in this area challenged, not even by my mother. "Fine." I agreed. "But we have to figure out where she is keeping him first and to do that I have to go negotiate with The Archive for this data."

"I will talk to her." Charity interrupted. "She will listen to a mother in need."

"NO!" I said as firmly as I had ever been with my mother without breaking into a fight. This actually stopped her thoughts as she looked at me with slightly wider eyes. "You will go with Murphy and the rest to gather your gear and you can even help outfit the rest of our merry little band and then wait at home for my call." I said brooking no defiance.

"But…" I knew she was hurting and that sitting and waiting was not something she wanted to do with her baby, or any of her babies, in trouble. This included me, which is why I had to change that particular equation.

"Mom, you will need to trust me more that you have ever in your life." I said as I thought through my options, including ones I could not believe I was even contemplating. I wondered how many times Harry had been forced to do the same. "I am going to ask you to do something that will seem crazy. But it may be the only way to set the world right once more."

She wanted to argue more, I could see it in her eyes. Charity Carpenter was not someone willing to sit and do nothing, which was more or less what I was asking of her. "Please mom…trust me…" I asked one more time, her little girl's voice filled with steel.

"Alright Molly, we will do this your way." She agreed with a nod to me and the others.

"Are you truly determined to go through with this child?" Margaret Dresden's voice asked in my head in a tone that actually offered bewilderment at my considerations of the moment.

"Yep." I replied as I dipped my brush into the paint.

Margaret waited for more until she finally understood I was trying to focus and _not_ think about it which of course made it the only worthy subject for conversation. "I am not sure if I should offer my profound respect for taking such a chance or demanding you have you head examined for this foolishness." She countered after the silence became too much.

"I'd say why don't you wait and see what results and make the statement most appropriate at that point." I replied putting a final touch to brighten a spot just a little more. "Besides if I did have my head examined and they asked me if I have been hearing voices what exactly would you want me to say?" I countered with an internal smile.

Margaret had no response to that particular inquiry but I did feel her relax slightly at my jest which let me get back to the last touches of the task before me. Hopefully I'd be done in time.

On the bright side I had almost half a day to prepare for what I was going to attempt. On the down side I was about to try something incredibly foolish against a level of power that even Harry had serious respect for. You know that old saying that desperate times called for desperate measures? Yeah I left desperate back in the dust a day or so ago.

I also was glad that I was not the one responsible for paying for the hotel suite considering what I was doing to the walls and the carpets. I mean the chalk lines would wash off easily enough and the charcoal ash might take a bit longer but I'm sure it would come up out of the carpeting eventually as well. It was the florescent paint mixed with a few odd inks that had taken me a few of those hours to collect and mix properly that were probably going to cause the greatest commotion with the hotel staff.

And of course they would be an issue with Ivy as well.

The Archive entered the room and the only reason she was not overwhelmed in complete shock was probably because she had sensed my 'writing' of every magical symbol as I placed them all over the walls, floor, and ceiling in her luxury suite. By the time I had started she was probably close enough not to waste time with a phone call and just have this particular conversation in person, which was just fine with me as I did not need the distraction.

"May I ask what exactly you are doing?" She said as she stood in the doorway looking at my 'creation.' Beneath the obvious all-knowing way Ivy had of looking at me, which as The Archive and the repository for all human knowledge was probably par for the course, I could also sense a trace of curiosity as if I was showing her something she had not seen before, which was what I hoped for. When you represent the sum of human learning, seeing something new was probably a treat in and of itself. I wondered if she would think so in a few hours.

All the furniture in the living area of her suite had been pushed off to the side so that a fairly accurate, well at least as I saw it, rendition of the earth with the North Pole in the center was painted upon the center of the floor. Directly above it on the ceiling and going down the walls and doors were accurate placements of all the major constellations in the northern night sky. To be fair I only focused upon those constellations that had magical significance but these were still a fairly significant number. Connecting them all was a thin silver line of ink that started at the North Pole and then traced to the point lowest on 'the horizon' and worked its way in a circle until finally making it to Polaris right above me.

In addition on the pieces of furniture still visible were also personal graphics of unicorns, faeries, sports team logo and comic book heroes and villains.

I stepped into the middle and stood on the North Pole and looked around at my handiwork. "I take it you are not particularly impressed, but I only had a little time to work on this." I said with a sense of hurt pride.

"And just what is 'this' supposed to be?" She said stepping into the room and carefully moving around the room looking at my handiwork without messing any of it up.

"That is Wonder Woman!" I said insulted. "See the golden lasso and how she is holding off that mad horde of fire-breathing midgets?"

"The politically correct term is 'little people' but I did not mean this one piece of art, but rather the entire collection." Ivy said without a trace of annoyance or even any emotion I could tell in her voice.

"Wow I thought you'd 'seen it all' as Harry would have put it." I smiled and stepped back off of the Earth and walked straight to the constellation of Draco the Dragon counting my paces aloud as I did.

"It's too low on the horizon." Ivy said without sounding too judgmental but instead offering advice.

"Everyone's an art critic." I said with a shake of my head. "Besides like all magic it is based mostly on belief and symbology rather than accuracy. I'm taller than you so when I stand on the North Pole it will be where I think it should be and the spell will work." I said rubbing my hand on the wall until I flinched in pain at the sharp little corner of metal sticking through the drywall.

"Dammit. Oh hell that hurts." I said as the blood welled up and I started to bring toward my lips to suck on my finger to stop the pain.

"What did you do?" Ivy asked stepping forward with a moment of concern and right onto the planet Earth.

"I'm sorry." I said looking at her and then letting the blood drip on my mouth fall onto the carpet and the normal circle of magic flare to life around her. Her eyes actually registered surprise, not at my magic, but at the fact that I had actually done this to her.

She gave the spell little note, in her place I would likely do the same, but instead tried to focus on understanding me and what my motives were. While she had endless lifetimes to draw upon, I think Ivy had little practical firsthand experience with betrayal. I felt terrible to be responsible for changing that, but as far as I was concerned I would feel worse the other way.

"You know your own are no match for Harry Dresden's circles of power and even he with all his skill could not contain me were he to try." Ivy said without a direct, merely an implied, threat. "You even know that I destroyed a number of Denarians who tried to hold me this same way and had ley lines to back them up yet still you took this action as if you expect your wards to hold me. Why?"

"I have to trade you for my brother to save his life." I said without regret. "The gift of prophecy is pretty high on the list of sight-related powers, but full cognizance of everything in the world was a power unique enough to make the dragon willing to accept a trade."

"And so you expect your circle to contain me until she arrives?" Ivy asked. "Isn't that asking a lot of your power and my patience?"

"No." I answered. "Part of the deal is that I have to deliver you, though to be honest I am not even sure of where I am to take to."

"Now I am even more confused." Ivy replied still without any sense of hostility but truly wonder. "Molly I know you are smart enough to understand your power cannot contain mine, nor do you have any means to bind and transport me, so why go to this elaborate scheme to lock me in a magical soap bubble?" She continued.

"You are right." I answered. "I cannot hold you. The Denarians are a whole lot tougher than I am and they needed almost all their strength and a confluence of ley lines to hold you, and even that was an iffy proposition. So instead I merely traced out a path…"

"…ah I see for the magic to flow like water following a riverbed." Ivy said nodding as her eyes followed the silver line. "That is a very impressive and creative answer to the problem you face." She nodded in actual approval with a smile. "I knew I liked you not just because you saved my life but for your intelligence and talent." As a demonstration she flicked her fingers and her small charged of electrical energy that flew toward me suddenly whirled away as it followed the magical lines of power that served to nudge and channel it rather than resist its effects. The spark danced the length of the line and then disappeared into the magical constellations.

"I assume the magic is sent somewhere safe?" She inquired both as a practical matter and probably hoping to find a flaw in my trap. Since she had all the knowledge of the human species to draw upon I really did not see any reason to be tight lipped.

"Yeah there is a one-way pin sized gate out into the center of the sun in fact. I'm glad you approve of how it is set up." I said. The choice of the sun was probably the hardest part of my plan. Opening a gate provided The Archive with a potential escape so the trick was not only ensuring it led somewhere instantly fatal, but also that the escaping magic would not harm anyone in the process. "I really am sorry that it has come down to this though."

"So am I Molly." Ivy replied as she sat down calmly in the center of the circle to obviously wait me out. She really did not seem to be holding a grudge which is a good thing.

"Of course you overlooked the fact that I do not have to resist you at all. I merely have to wait you out. Certainly your dragon friend set some sort of a deadline on your delivery and as that time approaches you will have to drop the shield as it will serve no further purpose." She pointed out ever so accurately the flaw that I had actually realized.

"Yeah about that…" I said with an even deeper regret now in my voice. "You see since I was on a time schedule I had to set it up so that the gate also pulled the air out of your circle prison as well. If my calculations are right I figure you have a little over an hour or so of air left in there before you pass out from lack of oxygen. Once that happens and your defenses are down it will not be a problem keeping you asleep with some minor mental suggestions. I have a natural talent in this area you see."

"Oh VERY GOOD!" She said approvingly as she glanced around a little bit now taking in all the various aspects of my trap and therefore considering it just a little more serious than a moment before. "I think Harry would be proud of you." She said twisting the knife in my side since both of us knew that he would not be.

"No." I replied. "Harry would have found another way. I'm not as strong or as smart as he was, nor do I have a whole lot of time to come up with a better plan, so this is the best I could come up with. Truth be told I'd rather he was here to help me."

"Don't put your skills as a wizard down Molly." Ivy replied. "You did capture me. And let's be fair your image of Harry and his ability to do everything right is tainted by your feelings for him. He did kill the mother of his child and asked his only apprentice who loved him to…"

"He did what was necessary to save the life of his daughter." I responded quickly cutting her off in midsentence. "Everything he did was to save Maggie. Don't disgrace his actions by comparing them to mine."

"If you say so." Ivy replied with far more confidence than a young teenager should have. "I meant no disrespect."

"I'd rather not talk about it." I said wearing my own emotions on my sleeve, but hell I figured with the number of love letters I had written to Harry and torn up before I knew about The Archive's powers it was not like I had much to hide or anything where my feelings were concerned.

"Have you figured out where she is hiding?" Ivy asked obviously aware of the location and taunting me with this.

"No." I replied. "Any chance you might want to provide me with that little detail?"

"I had planned to as a means of balancing the scales between us." She countered. "You will understand that I intend to keep this as my trump card. You will need me to find out so you will have to agree to release me."

"Actually I was hoping you were going to help me fight the dragon when you first said you were on your way here." I answered.

"I cannot." She said. "That would be providing you too much. The Archive is not supposed to choose sides."

"I thought she attacked you." I looked in her young face. "Isn't that enough of a reason for you to act?"

"I did." She said. "I sent Kinkaid."

"Lotta good that did."

We sat in silence for a few moments considering this fact until Ivy spoke up again. "No matter, it does not change our current situation and the fact that you need me to provide you answers which I will not do as long as I am your prisoner."

Well there was that; except I had considered this possibility as well. "Ivy, may I ask you a personal question?"

"Why not?"

"Harry told me that your power transfers from mother to daughter, is that right?" I asked.

"Yes. That is how it has been since time immortal." She responded. "Why is that important?"

"Only because I know you have no daughter." I said stating the obvious. "So that raises an interesting question. Where will all that power go if something were to happen to you?" I asked and watched as her eyes grew large.

For the most part magic is tied directly to the wielder and passed through bloodlines. Harry and I both got our talents from our mother, just like Ivy. But sometimes when magic reaches a certain level of power it takes on a will of its own, sort of like a survival mechanism. You know how the One Ring lived even after it was cut from the hand of Sauron? Yeah sort of like that.

The youngest Archive in a very long time sat there pondering the same thoughts that had come to me. Would the sum of all of man's knowledge truly just evaporate if the line ceased to exist? Or instead would it have some sort of failsafe that maybe even the current Archive would not know of to ensure the collection continued?

Harry had told me there were magical beings that had these kinds of contingency plans. Why then would the 'sum of all knowledge' not know of these plans and have a similar one itself? And if you could accept that as possible there really were only two options. The first is that the power would transfer to another predetermined waiting receptacle. The problem with that one is that the waiting host better not know what they were in line for or they would want to kill the primary and gain the crown. And if the alternate happened to die first, what then? That seemed too risky to me to be a real failsafe.

So then there is option number two. At the time of death the Archive power transfers to the next nearest host, just like a parasite. Since the Archive is supposed to be neutral it is not like it would hold a grudge or that would be taking sides. If I were building this type of contingency I figure this is what I would have set up.

And lucky for me I was the closest available host.

"Very well played Molly." The Archive said with just a hint of nervousness. "I suppose I should ask if we can come to some sort of deal?"

"Would you give me thirty minutes or so to sleep on that though?" I asked with a yawn. "It has been one heck of a day…"


	18. Chapter 18

**Life After Death**

_Chapter 18_

Harry Dresden is dead. Yeah that is what they all wanted to tell me so what was I doing about it? I was trying to take a nap.

One of the cool sides about being a sensitive wizard is the ability to affect the mind. I could make others feel afraid, feel brave, or even just laugh hysterically. Of course that was violating one of those pesky Laws of Magic if I took away their will, but I had gotten better about walking up to that particular line without crossing it.

On the up side I was allowed by the wording of that law to affect my own mind as much as I wanted to. Now this did not give me super powers or anything. I could not command my mind to make me 'fly' and suddenly I would be Supergirl or anything; at least not that I was willing to attempt and stake my life on. I could not give myself x-ray vision. I could just encourage myself to things I was capable of.

I had found this skill was a great power to have to fight off insomnia without having to resort to pills of the worst possible movies on the late, late show. A quick self-induced spell to fall asleep and nine out of ten times I would find myself drifting into unconsciousness in just a few moments time. So with The Archive keeping watch and currently not trying to escape this is exactly what I did.

Molly are you out of your mind you are probably asking. Am I not violating one of the Evil Overlord's most important laws of what not to do when you have captured your enemy and have them helpless? And why the heck did I want to take a nap right now?

Good questions…all of them.

You see Ivy was right about one little thing. I needed to know where the dragon was keeping her lair and without Ivy providing this information the best way I had reasoned to get this was by going back to sleep and dream walking again to spy upon the dragon and her guests. I mean she had established this great magical connection so I figured a quick nap would allow me to find her lair, get a general layout of the situation and any traps it may have, and maybe even do a quick check on her captives to ensure they were all relatively healthy and whole was worth the risk of sleeping around Ivy.

See, it is really not such a bad idea considering all the potential upside I could gather. Of course there are numerous failed super villains who likely thought the same thing.

I will not bore you with the details of the journey back to the courtyard where the Mercedes still sat as a magical anchor holding on to me as a means of tracking. More important to the situation though, this time there were no living beings wandering around or standing guard in the courtyard. Okay by living I am including the former golems who had hung out here but the point remains that the place was almost deserted; enough so that I almost panicked a bit and wondered if the dragon had moved on to somewhere else. But then I figured she would have taken the car with her as well, right?

With limited options I chose to enter the big steel doors that I had watched her and Death emerge from the last time I was here and was immediately overcome by the odor that wafted past me when they opened. It was a combination of old swamp and older sweat. I'm not sure an astral projection or whatever the hell I was at the moment could vomit, but I will admit I was damn close to providing scientific research on that subject. Who knew spirits had to breathe at all?

The room beyond was a small area with what appeared to be a few offices shooting off to each side and a desk surrounded by thick glass and steel walls. The layout was familiar for only a few facilities had this type of structure but I was not going to jump to conclusions on my location just yet. I needed to confirm where I thought I was. Of course the second big steel door standing open just opposite of where I came in seemed a good confirmation even if the smells seemed to grow stronger as I headed in that direction. I tossed on a veil and cautiously strode in watching for traps or alarms but lured by the sounds of desperation coming further ahead.

The next 'room' was truly more like a grand hall or even a vaulted courtyard rather than a room. It could easily hold hundreds; in fact it likely did back when this building was in use as originally intended. Of course in those days the residents would spend most of their time lining the alcoves along walls to either side. The central areas would have been for foot traffic though now it surely looked nothing like in had in those years past.

I will start by explaining this was once a jail, a two story one with the cells along each side and railed hallways above the floor. If you have seen The Shawshank Redemption that prison set was a pretty close representation of where I was standing. Well of course that was before the dragon put her rather unique touches on the place.

I already mentioned the musky, swampy smell so let me state that it originated from this location and was not because a marsh had popped up through the concrete floor. Instead the smell was all based upon a combination of a temperature spell that kept this room a rather moist one hundred degrees or so and the rather unique smell of the dragon's natural body odor that had seeped into the very cement and steel bars. Do you have any idea how bad you have to smell to sink into concrete?

Yeah, you might, but for those who do not or think it could not be that bad let's just say I immediately compared it to being caught between a leather couch and a four hundred pound naked and hairy backed man on an August day as he watches football and eats nachos. And like I said, I was just an astral projection at the moment so I could only assume the real smell if I had a nose would be even worse!

Now we have already shown that the dragon was pretty impressive where magic was concerned, certainly above my own skill levels. She also had demonstrated an ability to cast a veil spell so she could confuse or mask senses if she so chose to; at least until sunrise every day. Therefore that meant the smell was here by her choice. And that was only a hint of the sensory abuse I was about to face.

Instead of something cold, powerful, and intimidating that your average evil warlord would be satisfied with she decided to 'decorate' in a style that was probably unique to dragons; well them and perhaps the cheapest cathouses ever built by desperate men. Let's start with the totally obnoxious and then move to the gaudiest shall we so you can experience the same level of enjoyment I was privileged to?

The walls and former cells were covered in a patchwork of cloth draperies ranging from ragged tapestries, or more likely worn out scenic rugs, to bolts of once fine cloth such as silk or virgin cashmere wool. And let it not be thought that these were restored, well treated, and that careful consideration had been given to their exact placement to enhance the overall ambiance of the room. No these were draped about wherever they seemed to snag and land in what can only be the famous early teenage boy laundry style. I had younger brothers and avoided their rooms for this very reason as I was growing up. It was a Feng Suay nightmare in the making!

And to add insult to injury of course all the material smelled and the random placement served only to channel that particular smell and the associated humidity into the central part of this room even more and from that through whatever door happened to open. I could not help but think that one of Harry's fire blasts would set this whole place fully ablaze and likely kill everyone from the noxious smoke it would create. All in all that would probably be considered mercy killing, especially if there were any artists or interior designers on the jury.

Okay so the cloth is the obnoxious, then the truly gaudy is how she reworked the ceiling and no it was not also cloth covered. Let me start by saying it was mirrored.

Molly do you mean it has those wonderful gold and silver gilded sheets of glass across the length of the ceiling that sparkled and reflected light like the palace at Versailles, the Louvre, and the other great castles and ancestral homes of Europe?

Ummm…no.

Okay, Molly, step it down. So I guess it is just plain glass mirrors like what some swarthy guy might hang over his bed to admire himself?

Yeah…I only wish it was this classy, though I'm pretty certain that was the same intended purpose.

No instead it was a collage of mirrors, and when I say mirrors I am speaking in general terms of reflective panes of silver backed glass not anything elaborate. There were few full-sized pieces like what would hang in a small bathroom in evidence and most of these were incomplete. These were many also showing their age as the silver was fading around the edges and gave the glass a non-reflective cloudy look. But these were the 'quality' exceptions to the rule.

The vast majority of the panes looked like side mirrors from various cars and trucks making me want to ask Murphy at that moment if the cops who work auto thefts had received reports of an unusual number of car vandalisms in the past few weeks. And still mixed in with these were also dozens of rearview mirrors as well, and all seemed to be adjusted so that if you sat right in the middle of the room and looked up you would see your own reflection from pretty much every angle. As I stepped to this point and looked up for a glance reminded me I needed to work out a bit more.

Okay, I know what you are probably thinking I am hinting at. I grew up hearing all the old stories and watching Bugs Bunny cartoons where a magic spell is reflected back at the caster by use of a mirror. I once asked Harry if that would work on one of his fire spells for example and he immediately informed me that whoever tried would be found charred to death holding a melted piece of glass when they finally sorted out the body. So no, this is not some convenient self-induced trap that I could use to my advantage when the time came to fight the dragon.

A scream from a voice rather familiar to me was enough to take my thoughts away from her décor and onto the true matters at hand. I stepped cautiously down the middle of the open aisle to not disturb the cloth and possibly set off any hidden alarms as I made my way to the sound of someone I knew in obvious pain.

As I wandered past her bed, nothing more than another large mound of stinking rags that probably once were valuable, I nearly tripped over one of those metal buckets they chill champagne in. Champagne is not my drink so no I do not know the name of the stupid thing they use to hold it. Sue me! What I did notice as I grabbed to not let the contraption fall over, however, was that the bucket was cold, I mean ice cold…no make that Winter Court ice cold. And of course that meant magic.

Harry had a spell or two that could draw heat out of moisture either in pools of water or the air itself. Certainly with the humidity level in here there was enough base material for ice, but the amount of magic required to overcome the one hundred degree temperature was certainly worth noting as well. Probably only a handful of the Winter Court would have the power to accomplish this feat and ice was their base element and they were good at making it! That meant this dragon had power enough of the bad guys I do not want to fight to rival Maeve or so. Not a good observation for the home team.

I lifted the bottle, not to see if it was expensive or anything, which it wasn't since I do not think something called 'Pearson's Pink Champagne' is all that fancy, but instead I wanted to determine how much was left. The bottle was empty which told me the dragon had guzzled it down. It was also reasonable to assume that she had done so in human form as the amount in a single bottles, there were no other empties lying around, was unworthy of something as big as a dragon.

Harry always told me it was important to think things through, even though I can't recall many times that he actually did that himself. Still from the evidence before me it seemed like the dragon was celebrating another victory, and probably did so in human form. A full bottle might not be enough to create a wad of spit for a dragon, but the alcohol in it probably had her tipsy in her human form as alcohol consumption is all based on mass.

Another all too familiar sounding scream made me drop the bottle back in the bucker and head further into the prison especially when it was immediately followed by the cackling laughter of the cloaked woman that I recognized and come to loathe.

I passed slowly through a curtained wall and entered the next section of cell blocks which was also decorated. Instead of 1930s whorehouse this area seemed to be going for the look of the creepy dining room at the haunted mansion. The cells along each side were covered in thick black canvas to obscure views of who or what lay within then, or perhaps to prevent those within from seeing what was happening in the corridor and only getting the sounds for their entertainment. The only lighting was provided by a series of candelabras flickering and casting movie-like shadows onto the canvas walls that were also a mishmash collection.

And of course in the center of the room was the required large banquet table.

It was a dark and ghastly thing to be sure made of some black hardwood and lacquered so deeply at its original creation that the portions undamaged still seemed to suck the very light from the room around it. The legs, all six of them, were stump-sized affairs carved to resemble monstrously clawed feet, likely those of a dragon, sitting up on the toes so that the individual talons on each claw stabbed into the stone beneath it. I had no doubt that had this table been set upon wood, tile, or carpet the claws would have pierced right through this material from the weight of the piece alone. I guess that is sort of a neat way to prevent it from getting that off balance rocking you find in all the finer Denny's restaurants.

The six legs were required because the table appeared to be fifteen feet or more in length and six or so in width. This was impressive considering that the top seemed to be made originally of a single piece of wood as I could see no signs of any seam, at least not from where I was standing and how the table was currently set.

Interestingly there was only a single chair, more akin to a throne if the truth be told, and that was pushed back from the table at the moment so that the owner had the freedom of movement to walk all around the table wherever she chose. This was what I found her doing as I made my way carefully into the room.

Even guarded by my best veil I froze upon reaching the edges of this chamber so not to draw attention to myself with sudden movements if she could somehow sense my presence. My own eyes though bounced back and forth between the dragon and her entertainment of the moment.

Billy, or rather Will the werewolf lay chained upon the table's surface in obvious pain. His body was neither man nor wolf at present but something trapped in between. Yeah, I have seen those movies too and I am not talking about the hybrid werewolf that walks on two legs and is really intimidating as it tears out your throat with one claw. This was instead like Will had been trapped in mid-transformation between his two forms, having for example human feet but the upper leg of a wolf. His right arm seemed to ripple as the shoulder blade was trying to finish converting like the wolf arm below it but could not move forward and complete the process or reverse it.

I had never watched Will, Georgia, or any of the other Alphas transform, but I knew they could do it in mere seconds rather than the long drawn out and obviously painful process you see in horror movies. That meant either the dragon had found a means to lock Will in place halfway through that transformation process, the timing of which would be nearly impossible to achieve, or she had the ability to invoke a partial change in him herself, which was a pretty scary concept as well. But knowing her demonstrated abilities where bats and rats were concerned this second option seemed the more likely one.

Unfortunately for Will the movies must have been correct and the transformation must be an incredibly painful process if slowed down, or at least that seemed a reasonable guess from the way his muscles were straining and convulsing. I'm afraid to imagine that it was probably only a quick sharp pain normally, and now that moment of pain was being drawn out over minutes or hours.

"Why…are…you…doing…this…to…me?" Will asked through clenched teeth, his face still mostly human though needing a shave and his eyes more sunken than normal.

"I did not know I required a reason to destroy lesser beings." The dragon replied as she ran her fingernails along the arm transformed to a wolf and even across the footpad at the end. Will seemed to strain at her teasing touch and try to strike her but the silver chord bindings used to secure him were too strong and tight to allow him the movement necessary. Technically silver was not required for containing his kind of transformation beast, but I guess she was smart and not taking any unnecessary chances.

At the end of her journey her hand found a black rounded dinner knife still sitting somehow in its natural position next to a fork on a cloth dinner napkin of black as well. With a sudden sense of joy and inspiration no doubt accompanied by a likely smile hidden under the hood of her cloak she picked up the knife in a single smooth movement and stabbed it dull, rounded blade mind you, through the flesh of his forearm right between the bones and embedded it into the wood beneath. The sound of it scraping through the heavy varnish was instantly overwhelmed by Will's accompanying scream.

"Take that as your introductory punishment for not addressing me as 'Master' before asking me a question." She said sternly and then began to move around the table letting her claws play over Will's naked body and especially into the rather private areas. "I prefer the masculine version over 'Mistress' in situations like this so there is no lingering doubts that I never play games when it comes to domination of another."

When Will's screaming finally died out he turned to look and follow her movements as she circled the table again with his eyes. "Why?" He said and then quickly added 'Master' as she started to reach for a spoon lying by his head this time.

Don't judge him too poorly for not spitting in her face or something equally foolhardily brave. Those types of things happen when you have nothing to lose, and Will now had Georgia and his soon to be born child to consider. And there was nothing more than a few words he could toss at her at the moment anyway so resistance, as they say, was futile.

"Better." She said approvingly as she walking around the table some more before reaching the end and pulling the throne like chair. She sat down and cupped her head in her hands right beside his head so their faces were mere inches apart.

"So we may be clear when having this discussion, are you asking me why have I made you my captive or are you inquiring why am I doing all that I have accomplished so far?" She gently stroked the hair out of his eyes as if he was her lover and while her touch repulsed him, he accepted it so not to suffer more pain.

"Both." He replied through clenched teeth.

"Ah, that would make you a seeker of knowledge." She said approvingly cupping his face and leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. "I always had a weak spot for those who value knowledge as much as I do." She looked down the length of his body. "In fact it is so rare these days that I must admit it even excites me. Perhaps if I satisfy this curiosity in you I might convince you to do something similar for me." There was nothing subtle about the way she said that or what her intentions were with this 'lesser being' but still Will had the good sense not to react.

After a moment she turned her gaze back to his face. "As to the first part of your question then, that is best answered simply and philosophically. Have you by chance ever studied the works of the great theorist and logician dragon Acherion? No? Pity." She said with a tsk of mild disapproval. "Oh well if you were likely to live beyond the next six hours I might lend you my copy of his work on the nature of 'existence of medium-level beings' though I am not sure you would be capable of turning the stone pages as each one weights close to three hundred pounds."

"None the less he would explain to you that your lives are no more than the sum of your decisions." She explained patiently. "Each choice we make creates a change in us, much like each stone tossed into a river changes the current of flow ever so slightly."

"Therefore you are here because in some small ways you chose inevitably to be here. It was beyond your ability to influence greatly to prevent." The dragon continued. "You, like the rest of your kind, are literally a prisoner of your own choices and devices, like water running down hill to the sea. It might humor you to know that I, a higher-being, am your master and yet a prisoner of my own choices as well."

"Free…will…" Billy said between gasps of pain.

"I take it you are referring to the metaphysical belief of your grand thinkers and religious theocrats that your kind can make choices and set your own course, rather than that being some plea for your release in a pain induced third person context." She teased him as she stroked his hair. Will only nodded in response through gritted teeth.

"It is a myth for your kind as much as it is a myth for the cattle you slaughter deciding which patch of grass to munch upon." She said matter of factly. "Beings as short lived as your species only have illusions of freedom to choose. Your mortality set boundaries upon your free will as you are granted only limited time in this existence. Therefore what you think of as your freedom of choice is nothing more than a prioritization discussion of experiences so that you may metaphorically pack centuries of living into the time it takes for a single candle to burn itself out."

Will could not respond for the pain beyond shaking his head in denial of her statement.

"Oh?" She smiled though now the emotion she was radiating was more predatorily than one based upon sexually interests; yes there is a difference for those who did not know this. "Would you care for me to prove it to you with a little experiment?"

Will tensed up to keep from thrashing as his body convulsed again. "How?" He asked rightfully expecting that she would add some new burden of pain to his tortured body.

"Simple." She replied sitting back a bit in her chair but stroking patches of fur on his torso where they existed within her reach. "You are more wolf-like in nature than you understand and therefore are trapped in the instincts of that nature. For example, you can no more abandon your pack of friends and family than the true four-legged variety of you kind that is by your religion and philosophy without free will."

"To prove my point I offer you a chance to be freed from my control and live whatever is left of your life if you wish this course. All you need to do is ask it of me and I shall grant you this." She said with the obvious Sword of Damocles lilting tone that meant something bad was coming.

"But know if you do accept this you are agreeing that you can never have contact with those you call family or friend again. You must give up your 'pack' to save yourself. And I will place upon you a magical binding that will cause your death and those around you if you violate this promise." She said lifting a second steel knife from another place setting and holding it over the bicep of his left arm, letting the dull point dent the flesh below. "So prove to me your argument. Free yourself by exerting your 'free will' to abandon your friends and family and save yourself additional pain and certain eventual death at my hands." She teased but spoke with a deadly seriousness.

For some this might have been a course worth considering. Heck I know some people who would look upon this chance to erase connections with their family as a gift rather than a punishment. But none of those people were like Will and had a new baby just a few days away from being born. None of them had a wife they adored and would willingly give their life for. None of them had the hundreds of other reasons Will had to stay. So there was no surprise when he closed his eyes and shook his head denying her offer.

"See I told you that you were not free to choose and merely trapped by the decisions you have made in the past." The dragon said as she slowly pushed the blade through the muscle in Will's arm with an initial spray of blood and finally into the hard wood beneath as the flow continued to seep around the black metal. Will screamed in wordless agony something this time more akin to a bestial howl of tormented pain than I had ever heard before.

"Do not worry my little pet beast." The dragon stroked Will's forehead again leaving a smudge of his own blood upon the bare skin. "I will not allow you to die, not yet at least." His only response was to gasp and suck in another breath to howl again.

I tensed, wanting to do something but knowing there was nothing I could do against a being so powerful. Nor am I proud to admit that I had no stomach to stay and bear further witness to her sadistic streak. So I turned and began to flee.

I had to get out of there now. I had to get back to my body so that I could come back here and either make the trade or find a way to destroy the dragon. I had to do something!

But before I had taken two steps I felt a hand upon my shoulder holding me in place and I turned to find Death staring at me once more. "Relax young wizard." He said but his fingers or some power of his kept me from taking another step.

"I need to get out of here!" I whispered in response as I glanced over his shoulder to make sure the dragon's attention was not on the pair of us.

He merely chuckled. "Do you know how many times throughout eternity I have heard that same sentiment as I came to collect a soul?" He whispered, his breath literally cold as death in a room sweltering at one hundred degrees? "You may think you have the power to escape this child, your kind always wishes to believe it, but you cannot leave." He said deadly serious, pardon the recurring pun.

I wanted to counter him but really there is only so much you can say to death about the nature of eternity as so forth. "Nor should you depart just yet as there is information about to be revealed here that will be important to you in the very near future."

"About to be revealed?" I asked not liking the implications. Moving through time was one of the inviolate laws of magic, even more so that messing with another's free will. Some people had the power to catch limited glances of the future at times, heck Little Harry had glimpses of this which is why he was involved in this, but the tone of conviction of Death's words made me sure that he was speaking of something far more certain than just dream-based prophecy. He was speaking of knowing the future.

"I am Omega…the final stage of everything." He said without a sense of pride. "There are no secrets that remain at the end of all things." He turned my body to look back upon Will and the dragon before I could offer up any other words of protest.

"You also asked why this game is playing out and how you became a pawn in its workings." She returned to stroking his hair but her posture told me she was entering deep in memories of another time and place. "It ironically is the result of doing the greatest good for my kind through a true exercise of free will, and now correcting that mistake."

"Because dragons are related by blood and small in number, when one of my kind is injured all of us feel it." She explained. "And like your kind claims, the closer the bond of blood that exists between us, the stronger the pain that we feel. Therefore when the Carpenter elder knight stabbed my father in the eye with that cursed sword of his I felt it acutely myself though I was half a world away at the time."

"The knight foolishly thought that he had killed my father, not understanding the nature of true immortality and what it takes to end such an existence. Were he any lesser creature than a dragon then surely such a wound would have done so. But in truth even such a mighty blade empowered by magic cannot slay one of my kind so easily with just a single wound, no matter how deep or where the blade strikes." She seemed proud of this fact but it made me wonder what the hell could kill a dragon if a sword in the brain was not enough to do so?

"I arrived minutes after their departure and found my father where the knight had left him bleeding out. I could sense that already he was healing his body from the blow." The dragon spoke to Will not even noticing that she continued to stroke him like some fond pet as she told her story. "It would certainly take decades before he even awoke, and a century or more on top of that before he would be able to move again, but my father was still alive, his spirit still inhabited his body, though the knight did not know this."

"So…you…killed…" Will sputtered an accusation between spasms of pain and strokes on his skin.

"Yes." The dragon admitted stopping her stroking and looking into Will's eyes to openly face the accusation and admit her guilt. "But judge me not by your mortal standards. It was not from greed, or vengeance, or any of those human emotions that drove me to take this action."

"Why…Love…?"

"That is merely another creation of your kind." The dragon scoffed him. "No I did it to perform him a kindness as well as for my kind and for the rest of the world as well." She elaborated further.

"Mercy?"

"Hardly." She answered. "Or at least not in the sense you are using that word." She took a few deep breaths but Will did not seem to have the strength to question her further. Eventually she continued her story.

"My father was a ruler of our kind as he was one of the strongest and oldest. He would be what your histories refer to as a desert Caliph, a title that originated with us that your kind has stolen from mine." She began to stroke his hair again. "As I said there were others of my kind, along with many other powers in this world, that had sensed the damage the knight had inflicted upon my father. Were he allowed to live and recover over time it would not have showed others he was strong but rather that he was weak to be so grievously injured and immobilized. And by extension that meant all of his blood, perhaps all dragons, were weak. Other beings that we had cowed for millennia without counts and perhaps even some of my own kind would seek out our numbers to destroy us because we were weak."

"Even if he were left alone to heal, eventually he would be forced to restore his standing among us before he would be offered respect once more. To do so he would have to start by killing all of the blood of the knight. Think of how many lives that would be in a family that has demonstrated in just its first pairing such rapid commitment to reproduction." Okay so I did have more than the average number of brothers and sisters, but still…

"Add to that the mother's bloodline that carried the gift of magic and the possibility was great that his forced action to restore his standing would start a war between the future White Council and my kind." She said stopping the stroking.

"We are strong as a race, but we are few in number. The Red Court of vampires with their hundreds of thousands considered our kind its equal, and now they are no more. Perhaps human wizards could destroy us given time to find such a solution as they did to the Red Court."

"Therefore these were the things I pondered as I stood over his comatose form. Were my father to live not only would my race become lesser in the eyes of our rivals, but even the only path to restore himself and our kind would make others rise up against us just as assuredly. Neither option was a situation I could allow for it endangered us all and millions of lives beyond my kind as well."

"So you killed him…" Will got the whole sentence out in an actual single breath rather than through gasps of pain for once.

"Indeed." She acknowledged with a slow nod of her head. "And then I spent the next few years passing along that story, telling how a valiant Knight of the Cross with a sword bestowed in power by his God slew the mighty dragon. My only option was for me to increase the stature of the knight in order to protect the stature of my kind as well."

I had to admit that was a rather twisted outlook but it did match all the details of the events, at least as far as I knew them to be. And since she said she was there it's not like I had a lot of room to question her – or a desire to at the moment anyhow.

"Then…why…" Will asked again as a spasm struck his body.

"Why all this?" She asked waving her arm to indicate the fruits of her labor. Will tensed but nodded quickly in response.

"Because even with my actions to build up the knight's reputation, a shadow of doubt about the strength of my kind still resides in those who would consider themselves our rivals." She explained. "Though I did much to balance the tally, many being now believe the three Swords of the Cross hold the secret to destroying my kind forever. It provides a tempting consideration for those who would like to see us no more."

"As one of my kind dedicated to increasing knowledge and learning I have watched the interest other have shown in these swords increase over the past decade. Mostly it was hints of conversations, casual so not to strike up too much awareness but it was there all the same. And over time I traced this interest back to some beings who have no love for my kind. They have begun their own effort to acquire these relics and test this theory. Therefore I must correct this final error before they try this power for themselves and learn the truth of the situation for themselves."

"By killing us?" He asked again before the pain overtook him once more. "How…is…that…"

"Different?" She finished for him. Will nodded to get her to finish her story.

"It is simple child." She explained. "Put yourself in the position of those who now think they can destroy us when they learn that my father has returned from the dead? Think of the prestige it will provide him among my kind. Think of how such a feat will make our enemies second guess themselves before they dare to take action. In one fell swoop I will have achieved the vengeance my father would require and my kind's reputation for power would be raised up even higher than before his death."

My god she was right. Harry had told me that a being's reputation was every bit as critical as their actual power when dealing with others. This is why Queen Mab could brook no challenges to her authority from wherever they arose but must instead utterly destroy those who took such liberties. She could not show mercy because mercy was considered weakness, and weakness meant challenge and death.

"So now you begin to understand the game you play in?" Death asked from behind me but I could only nod my head in response.

"I have to get back." I whispered wanting him to free me now that I witness what he had expected me to hear. Time was of the essence if I was going to throw a monkey wrench in her plans. And if so I had to get all my allies together and get back here to the abandoned Chicago prison she made her home.

"You may depart in a moment. We have two last points to discuss." He said and I turned to look at him once more though avoided connecting with his eyes.

"What?" I asked wanting just to flee.

"You should know that she has another prisoner that you are currently unaware of but who may provide you a key to understanding this event even more than I." He said to me. "One whose interference she feared so when their paths crossed she removed him from the picture even though dares not destroy him for that would unleash horrible repercussions for her plans."

Harry? I could not stop myself from thinking this but I knew it was a pipe dream, or just wishful thinking. Over the past few days I had thought all of this related in some way to Harry, but it was getting harder and harder to lie to myself. But was it impossible?

I mean Harry certainly would have thrown a wrench in the dragon's plans if he somehow learned of them; he had proven that to the city of Chicago for years and now to the magical world, much to the dismay of the Red Court. Putting myself in the dragon's shoes I certainly would not have wanted him around if I were planning something this big in Chicago. But that would mean according to Death he was still alive. Was that possible? Could he still be alive at this moment?

My head hurt and I had to push that idea aside because even if he was alive, he was also beyond the ability to provide me any help at the moment. If I got too sidetracked thinking about all of this right now, the fact that he might not be dead, I might not do what had to get done. I blinked away my tears and turned back to Death.

"Fine. Not a lot I can do about that at the moment so what else do you have to tell me?" I asked.

"Only to remind you once more that I promised to release a soul, the soul desired by whoever brings me the elixir, not just the father's soul, providing all the other conditions are met." He said repeating his earlier offers much more bluntly.

I tried to banish this idea as well but he made the offer too enticing not to at least consider his words. "Think of how the same prestige the dragon seeks for her kind could be bestowed upon one of your choosing and all that would likely mean to those who oppose them." He said in a voice dripping with temptation.

"You are asking me to make a deal to trade one life for another." I said bluntly to which he merely nodded a single time. "And still you will not tell me if you have Harry Dresden's soul or not…"

"I do not reply to questions when the answer is already known." He repeated his earlier mantra.

"…yet you expect me to offer his daughter's life for his?" I finished putting on the table what he tried all along to remain obscure about. "This is the very same daughter that we all went to Mexico to rescue. The one that I nearly got killed trying to save. And the one that Harry probably did die to save? Is that the sacrifice you are speaking of? After everything we gave up, the things he was forced…we were forced to do?"

"That sacrifice would indeed fit the conditions of the spell in question." He answered without emotion leaving me speechless.

I wanted to strike him, not with magic but just punch him right in the face, however that immediately flashed as one of the ten stupidest things a mortal could probably do. So instead I just stood there trembling in rage, and while I shook I thought. And no matter how hard I wanted to deny it, the offer he had placed before me kept coming back to the center of my mind.

I do not know how long it took before I stopped trembling, only that I was spiritually exhausted but I was no longer as clear on what was right anymore. "To do this I would have to betray Harry and all he taught me." I said defensively and in a voice just above a whisper as I tried to build up my wall of determination. "I cannot see his memory destroyed like that."

"I understand." He said changing his form to look like Father Forthill. "Sometimes events ask more from us than we can give and we chance losing ourselves to such choices, becoming the very monsters that we seek to destroy." His voice had the same care and concern I had heard throughout my life in his sermons. "It is times like these we must ask ourselves what we truly believe in."

Death's image faded again to rearrange itself this time as my father. "Sometimes the conflict moves beyond those around us and we must accept that it is time to put down our sword and surrender the field of battle. We have done everything we can in this life and must place it in God's hands that others will take up where we left off." He said with a voice that sounded like my father's but words I never heard him speak. I wondered if perhaps they were secret ones inside of him or if Death was merely trying to manipulate me. "There is no shame in giving up."

No way! My dad would never say anything like that.

Death changed a third time to look like Harry Dresden. "And sometimes the risks we ask others to take for us or for the world are unfair. No one should ever be forced to live with the results of having to make as terrible a choice as I offer to you. The damage would tear them apart. You are right to not even consider such a thing Molls."

The way he said Molls, a name he'd never called me before, still it reminded me of something that seemed to hang out just on the edge of my consciousness. I was being manipulated by Death. I was not ignorant of that. But knowing it and denying the allure are two separate things especially when he smiled at me like Harry did, offering a simple nod that he was forgiving me for not being strong like he was.

I thought about how he had the chance to turn away from facing the truly horrible things we had seen and accomplished in Mexico. He could have denied Susan the help she asked for and no one would have thought less of him for it, or likely even known. When the vampire assassins torched his place he could have saved himself and not tried to rescue his neighbors which resulted in a broken back. He could have accepted this fate took away the chance to rescue her and not become the Winter Knight. And most of all he could have….

"The hell with it!" I screamed at Death and found myself yanked along the silver chord and right back to my body, blinking my eyes a few times as I felt the all too real tears streaming down my living face.

I turned to look at Ivy, still trapped in my circle, and wondered if she was judging me for my weakness. Instead I found her eyes were fluttering and her body seemed lethargic as the last of the oxygen was draining away. She would be unconscious soon and then without defenses. She would be mine for the taking, and time was of the essence.

I stood up and cast a calming spell upon myself to balance out my emotions and the effect they would have on my magic and therefore technology. Thankfully the phone was in the other room so by the time I reached it I was as under control as could be expected under the circumstances. I dialed a number from memory.

Mom picked up the phone before the first ring had completed.

"Molly?" Her voice was at once both comforting and still made me ashamed at what I was going to say.

"Mom, listen carefully." I started. "I need you and the others to meet me as soon as you can across from the old city prison…"


	19. Chapter 19

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 19_**

"Harry Dresden is dead." I said to the assembled crew before me and noticed Murphy wince at the brashness of my words. "Or at least he is not coming back in time to help us in what we must do right now." The words did not get her to smile but the underlying attempt was enough to remove the grimace from Karrin's face.

I looked over these 'warriors' that I had assembled to face death beside me and could not help but chuckle inside. We were either the cast of a Hollywood B movie that only gets shown late at night on the USA network or the star attraction for some nerds' gaming convention. Either way the title for our group would probably be 'Chicks in Chainmail' or something equally sexists, yet at that moment appropriate.

Ms. Gard naturally drew everyone's attention first in part because she was the only one here who was taller than I was. The fact that the also carried a new black iron, double bladed battleaxe that rested far too comfortably on one shoulder for someone so angelic – as in death angel – was also noteworthy. A pump action shotgun in a holster on the other shoulder, and a thirty inch short sword on her hip would also likely garner a second glance from most Chicago residents once they got over their initial shock. And like our nerd loving nome de gard, she wore a silvered shirt of chainmail, one of those that my mom made, which was also lined with Kevlar for the more modern concerns.

Sorry boys, but I am not going to spend any time telling you how the links were pulled tight to nearly bursting as they tried to contain her ample chest. I will say though that of all of us Gard showed the least signs of nervousness about the battle to come. I could only assume this type of situation was probably old hat for the valkyrie.

On the other end of the height spectrum, and because of that almost as noteworthy, was Sweet the leprechaun who looked almost as equally relaxed at our impending challenge as the valkyrie. This was not because she was the eighteen inch warrior queen of her kind, but rather because she agreed to partake of this adventure only after I promised her that her role was not related to combat. Knowing what she had to offer the group I figured I could use her skills for other tasks and thereby keep more fighters available for the main event.

Leprechaun stories generally revolve around two features; a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow or some other hidden spot, and demonstrating incredible skills and intelligence at not getting caught by things much bigger and with evil intentions for them. Since my promise to her was that her pot of gold would not play a role in tonight's schemes and that her only mission was to act as scout and help free the captives if she could manage it I was eventually able to get her to accept this role.

Okay it took a promise of half of my own remaining gold that I had been paid for services rendered a few years before, but I figured if I got killed tonight to resurrect a dragon the gold was not going to do me any good anyway. Besides I always figured I could bill Marcone for the rescue and get my money back all the same. He had this thing about honor and would certainly pay off these debts just not to feel he owed me.

My mom of course did not have any armor or weapons that would work for Sweet. The smallest dagger in the collection I was told had looked like a broadsword to the Irish sprite and when her first practice swing launched the weapon across the room and into a wall of the garage all parties agreed that Sweet would stick to her magic if she found the need to defend herself. As the rest of us made last minute preparations the leprechaun calmly puffed on her extended pipe of tobacco and shook her head silently in mirth at our preparative efforts.

If anyone could give Gard a run for her money on the whole medieval badass look it was my mother Charity. I have heard others say I get my looks from my mom and that she could be a supermodel instead of a housewife had she chosen to. Let's just admit up front that her biceps quickly distinguished her among the other forties year old mothers in the PTA, soccer leagues, and Victoria's Secret catalogues. Making chainmail over a hot forge tends to keep the upper body in shape. And of course her current attire only emphasized this all the more.

Since she made all of my father armor herself and helped him practicing the skills for mastering his sword she of course needed to have her own sparring gear as well. She currently wore her favorite Kevlar lined mail, and yes she has more than one suit. I noted that it was the same suit she also wore when she came to rescue me from the Winter Court with Harry a few years ago. I hoped it still held that level of luck.

She was also carrying a rather large hammer that even dragons dared only ignore at their peril. Of course it was not imbued with one of the three nails from the cross like a certain family sword, but it was inscribed with the holy cross and multiple angelic runes. It was not a magical weapon, at least not in the way of a wizard's creation I should say, but certainly carried a sense of faith with it. Combine that holy intimidation with the look of determination my mother had to recover Little Harry and if necessary reign divine wrathful judgment on the serpent that took him and like I said she gave Gard a serious challenge for team badass.

Like Sweet, Tera West forgo any offer my mother made of armor or weapons. Her reasoning was not based on avoiding combat like the leprechaun but rather that her body was her weapon and anything we might offer he would merely slow her down.

She wore only an old pair of raggedy sweats from one of my brothers', probably Daniel's, high school jock days. Because of their size differences she looked like she was drowning in them, so much that the neck of the sweatshirt hung down enough to almost offer a cleavage shot, that was if Tera actually had more than an A cup going for her. This of course meant they would literally fall away when the time came to transform which was the only reason she accepted any clothing at all.

Subtle tactics was not what I was planning for Tera and I doubt she would have been able to follow them if I laid out some elaborate plan anyway. When and if the time came her job was simply to offer mayhem and try not to get killed in the process or get in the way of others. I knew how fast she was and while her power may not be truly intimidating to the dragon, it's not like the lizard could ignore a wolf's claws or teeth aiming for vital areas like her eyes. And any distraction Tera created would be supporting a host of others willing to try more direct methods to do damage to the dragon bitch.

Murphy was the one who actually scared me. Sure she sort of looked tough in her suit of Kevlar chain, one of Charity's backups cinched tight since they were about similar height. Instead of going with bladed weapons like the majority of the group was packing, Karrin went modern and with a serious vengeance.

Start with a bolt action hunting rifle. Sure it was not very high tech, but the rounds it fired were guaranteed to penetrate through cinderblock walls or stop a charging rhino. Okay, I doubt we were going to face a charging rhino, sure one never knows in Chicago since I had heard about a T-Rex encounter one time, but as I figured it these bullets would almost certainly get a dragon's attention as well.

She backed this up with a smaller automatic weapon, she called it an MP-5 but as far as I know about guns she could have been talking about a music player she was carrying too. This second smaller weapon though came with half a dozen thirty round clips and when I mentioned that I had never seen silver headed rounds before Murphy informed me they were Teflon coated to guarantee penetration.

She called them 'cop killers' with a sense of irony since they were these a bane to those she had not long ago considered family. If she were caught with them she would almost assuredly do five years in prison and no Chicago cop would ever willingly talk to her again, not even those who had once called her friend. On the other hand they provided the best opportunity for penetrating dragon scales that modern technology had yet devised for black market purchase. She told me that she had been unsuccessful seeking depleted uranium rounds. I'm not sure she was kidding.

She also had her two standard automatic pistols slung in opposing shoulder holsters as a last ditch weapons, and in truth I think we both agreed if she had cause to draw these our little group was in serious trouble. They were however the weapons she was most comfortable with and ones that had saved her life on more than one occasion when out with Harry. I was therefore happy she had them for comfort sake if for no other reason.

It was not the weapons that were creeping me out about Murphy though but rather the emotions she was giving off. There was a fatalistic sense about her that had been growing since she learned I had faked being Harry Dresden. Like it was for me, Harry meant the world to her and more and more we were both facing the realization that he was no longer going to be a part of our lives. Looking at her out of the corner of my eye I figure she might, just might be able to overcome this if she had somewhere else to turn to, but unfortunately her job, which had been the center of her existence even before she met Harry had been torn away from her as well. She literally seemed to have nothing left to lose.

When I was young and lived at home watching the evening news with my dad, I used to wonder how much hate it would take to become a suicide bomber and blow yourself up in a crowd of innocent women and children. When I came into my powers and starting to understand others' feelings I figured out that hate would not drive a person to take such an action. In fact it was just the opposite, a complete lack of any powerful emotions in a person leaving them instead wallowing in grief and hopelessness that led a person to this type of decision; that of course and one religious fanatic to place the thought in their head. As I watched Murphy out of the corner of my eye I wondered if I had played the role of the fanatic by suggesting this raid.

Try as I might I could not come up with a reasonable way to start a conversation to check on her. Sure we women are better at expressing and discussing emotions than guys are, but there are limits in this area even for us. "Karrin, how you doing? Do you plan to get yourself killed doing something stupid in the next few minutes?" Yeah those types of questions qualify as really bad, and only would be used my guys reading books their girlfriends gave them on how to share their feelings more.

Besides it is not like I was an emotional storm anchor at the moment either. Between Harry probably being dead, my brother Little Harry kidnapped, and being responsible for leading my 'friends' into combat with something likely to kill us, my own emotions were also spiraling nearly out of control as well. Sure I tried to maintain my normal cool exterior in order to project a strong determination and confidence to the others, which I boosted a bit with subtle waves of similar emotions in their direction, but still I could feel the turmoil within me.

As I had walked the last two blocks with my 'parcel' to link up with the others, every street light I passed either shorted out or exploded when I got within ten feet of it because of the emotional connection feeding my magic. Granted, this helped darken the area, but the whole exploding streetlights effects pretty much blew the stealth aspects of this mission if the dragon was on alert and waiting for us.

I also tried to wave off on wearing the chainmail as well but my mother was fairly persistent, offering some threat related to spanking me in front of the entire crew if I back talked her, so I figured to keep my dignity I'd accept the armor. As for weapons I was going in light, only my pair of wands that were definitely showing signs of wear and tear but still the best I had in my arsenal. Besides I was going to be burdened down carrying the last member of the troop; The Archive.

Okay, there really is no surprise that by my carrying an unconscious Ivy up to the group it was bound to draw a few questions and lots of raised eyebrows. My mother of course fell into her matron healer aspect and immediately looked the girl over even though I assured he she was only sleeping and would awaken when the time came. Charity only stopped once she was satisfied that Ivy had no signs of injury; thankfully the form of suffocation I used did not tend to leave marks.

Karrin barely gave me a glance and went right back to checking her weapons for like the fifth time and ensuring there were rounds in the chamber ready to go. If anything said how far she had fallen it was that she said nothing. Yeah like I said earlier, creepy!

Of Tera, Sweet, and Gard, only the leprechaun and the valkyrie seemed to suspect something but neither was going to ask me what I was up to. There must be a professional courtesy clause among beings that walk between the darkness and the light not to make them explain aspects of a plan that obviously do not involve them.

I spent the first few minutes as I put on the armor bringing everyone up to speed on my dream snooping on the dragon, leaving out the parts related to my talk with Death and my plans related to Ivy. Sweet had taken the time before I arrived to do a bit of scouting on her own and confirmed the smell of dragon was pretty thick inside the building though she had not ventured too far so as to not give us away. She did leave the front door unlocked for us however, adding that courtesy free of charge she said with a wink.

"What are your plans to confront the serpent Molly?" Gard asked letting the massive axe rest comfortably on her shoulder. "Certainly the appearance of an armed troop such as we would place her on guard and put us at a disadvantage from the start. At the same token she will likely suspect a veil and look for such signs as well. In battling such a creature it is important to strike the first blow as quickly and decisively as possible. Anything less gives her more time to respond and lessens our chances."

"Yeah that is pretty much what I figured as well." I agreed with a nod. "As I estimate things, success in keeping her guard lowered so we can hit her lies in letting her see exactly what she expects to see or not letting her suspect things that are not there."

"You be thinking of a crafty illusion then lass?" Sweet asked as she tapped out her pipe and put it away in her vest pocket that could not possibly hold something that size. "The smart ones tend to be wise to such trickery. Believe me it is one thing I know."

"Hey trust me it worked well in Mexico!" I said with a smile to reassure he doubts. "And I even have the perfect music for it."

I cast my required preparation spells and hoisted Ivy's body back on my shoulder. I had done some incredibly foolhardy things since coming into my powers but this was certainly about to make the top ten, maybe even top five. It should provide you some sort of reflection on my life that walking in to do battle with a dragon does not immediately become the number one but what can I say? I mean yes I lead a rather interesting life.

Based on the layout of the prison that I had scouted I figured that the courtyard would be the best place for our confrontation, in part because the open space would not allow all of us to get confined close together and also this would allow Sweet to hopefully sneak past the dragon to rescue the captives and lead them to safety. As I figure the worst case was her having to worry about the dragon acting out the treasure scene from The Hobbit and her cast in the role of Bilbo Baggins.

The downside to this location for the fight was with open sky, if we were too successful and the bitch decided retreat was in order, she could fly away and we really would not be able to stop her. To reduce, but not fully eliminate that particular concern when I raised it Gard explained to Murphy and Tera the points on the dragon's wings that were most likely to hamper her ability to fly if damaged. These spots were unfortunately not located near any vital areas so concentrating damage on these meant sacrificing going after killing blows. But it was something to consider if the situation required it.

I looked over our troop one last time and thought if there was ever a call for an all-female Justice League group then this gathering was certainly comic book worthy. We looked good, some like Tera just naturally hot, others like Gard and my mother mixing beauty and badass into a perfect package. Now it was time to see if we could kick ass like a host of Wonder Women.

I willed my rave music spell through my left hand wand and then through the prison doors to serve as our calling card that we had arrived. I had never thought a prison would have such fine acoustics but smiled when the music immediately began playing and echoing off the stone walls even louder than I had hoped for. Of course that effect could also be because my emotions were running a bit high at the moment so sue me. I took the first step across the street and the rest fell into place to each side of me as we had agreed.

"_I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go…_

_Walking with a dead man over my shoulder…_

_I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go…_

_Walking with a dead man over my shoulder…"_

Okay Ivy was not dead, and certainly not a man, but hey just how many songs do you think had lyrics applicable to this type of situation. And based upon what I knew of the dragon and her literary tastes I figured Oingo Boingo was not likely to have been something she kept on her IPod so would probably confuse her a bit as well. I could be wrong on this, but if not it seemed only right to expand her tastes a bit.

"_Waiting for an invitation to arrive…_

_Going to a party where no one's still alive…_

_Waiting for an invitation to arrive…_

_Going to a party where no one's still alive…"_

I kicked open the double doors to the prison with aloud boom, not a bad trick considering that I was carrying a body over my shoulder and had to balance Ivy's weight when doing it. I strode in trying not to show fear and behind me stalked my five companions armed and ready for battle.

"_I was struck by lightning…_

_Walking down the street…_

_I was hit by something last night in my sleep…_

_It's a dead man's party…_

_Who could ask for more…_

_Everybody's coming leave your body at the door…_

_Leave your body and soul at the door…_

_Don't run away it's only me…_

_Only me…"_

I mean can any lyrics really offer a better calling card? I could actually sense the dragon's surprise even from a distance which helped not only to calm me but made me smile as well. Looks like being one of the big all-powerful and ancient race of dragon did not make you immune to finding yourself in new situations you were unprepared for. That thought made me smile even wider so I jacked the music up just a little louder and continued to step forward.

"_I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go…_

_Walking with a dead man walking with a dead man…_

_Waiting for an invitation to arrive…_

_Walking with a dead man, dead man, dead man…"_

The group of us entered the courtyard where the Mercedes was still parked off to the side. I lowered Ivy's body to the ground in front of me out in the open and looked to those on my left and right offering a nod that things were as I had expected.

As we had discussed, Murphy broke to the right and took up a firing position on the hood of the car to steady her aim while Tera moved off to the left and away from the rest of us assuming her hybrid form a she went and dropping my brother's sweats.

Charity stood close to my left side, closer than I preferred for safety sake in a battle but her emotions were reading a continued desire to protect her children, in this case me, from the dangers of the world. Gard took up a stance three paces way from me on my right and we all stood and waited for our host to arrive.

_In my best suit and my tie…_

_Shiny silver dollar on either eye…_

_I hear the chauffeur comin' to the door…_

_Says there's room for maybe just one more…_

In fact the courtyard had room for quite a few more, but if the dragon decided to assume her natural form it would probably get very crowded very quickly. It was what I was worried about and therefore what I had assumed in my planning. But instead, wearing a emotional cloak of pure arrogance at levels that I had only felt before in senior members of the Faerie Courts, the dragon stepped through the doors opposite of me in her cloaked woman form with her face still concealed and crossed her arms at our arrival.

_Don't run away it's only me_

_Don't be afraid of what you can't see_

_Don't run away it's only me . . ._

"Don't worry child it is not I that has any intentions of running away from these events." The dragon said as the song ended and then made a dramatic show of looking at each of my companions in turn before dismissing them with a mere snort that left a curl of steam rise from one nostril. I waited for her to decide how the next moment would go as it was one of those decision points that needed to be made.

"Illusions? Really that is the best you could think of? I can smell that particular flavor of magic so strongly on them and completely lacking on you and the child lying before you. Such an attempt is amateurish, even for an apprentice wizard." The dragon said dismissing my four companions from her further consideration as now completely unworthy of further discussion. "I am also very disappointed in you child that you would attempt the very same trick you used in Mexico not so long ago." She shook her head with the obvious disapproval of a teacher.

"You know about that?" I said with shock and not stopping a bit a surprise from reaching my face.

"I think perhaps I know of it even better than you do." She said with a smile only deepening even more to explain that she had been observing me for some time it seems. I had suspected such, but being faced with its confirmation was still a bit intimidating. Maybe she did know me better than I knew myself. Time was certainly going to tell.

"It reflects poorly not only upon you but also upon your master that you are so limited in skills as to try the same tired plan a second time." She said shaking her head in obvious disappointment.

"Say what you will about me but you do not get to talk disrespectful about him bitch." I said getting angry again and finally having someone to focus that anger toward.

"Oh have a touched an open wound?" She said tilting her head under her hood. "Are we so sensitive that we dare not face the truth that he failed you?" She laughed. "Well that is no surprise for I suspected from the first that you were not ready to face up to the truth."

"I said you do not get to talk about him bitch." I said letting my anger turn into fueling my magic as my hands found their way down to the wands in my holsters. "Now shut the hell up about him before you make this personal and really get hurt." I said with hate filling my eyes.

"No only overly sensitive but also suffering from delusions of grandeur as well. How Harry Dresden could put up with this for so long I have no clue. I would have sympathy for him if her were not to blame for it." She shook her head and laughed. "But of course that no longer matters because HARRY DRESDEN IS DEAD!"

'CRACK!'

The sound of Murphy's bolt action hunting rifle firing came as a shock to me, but even more so to the dragon. Yeah I had used illusions in Mexico to draw out opponents and make them vulnerable to a counter attack and the idea had originally appealed to me to do the same here. But then I thought of how I had laid an illusion over the cemetery to make it look the same while the grey men advanced into position and decided on an even better plan given the current situation and our need to get close.

Instead of making illusions of my friends, I figured how much smarter it would be to cover their bodies heavily in an exact illusion of what they actually looked like? That way when the dragon did look at them and sensed the illusionary magic she would dismiss the fact that they were actually hidden underneath this spell that left them in plain sight. I would feel about such a deception bad but I did leave the Oingo Boingo lyrics in the song that said 'Don't be afraid of what you can't see.' It's therefore not my fault that she chose to ignore the song's advice. Truth be told I was not planning on feeling bad about the deception either.

Of course Murphy taking the first shot was not really part of the plan as I had expected it to go down, or at least not happening at this point. We were supposed to get around to talking about a trade and thereby give Sweet the time to hopefully free and revive the prisoners. Murphy's pulling of the trigger early jumped up that particular time schedule a bit but improvisation is just as important to ultimate success as a well defined plan.

The rhino stopping slug flew straight and true, and gave the dragon only enough understanding of the true danger in order to flinch out of the way at the very last second, yeah she was fast, and turn the killer head shot into one that struck her left shoulder, spun her around, and dropped her down to her knees. A part of my brain registered the distinctive clicking of Karrin retracting the bolt and reloading but by them my own instincts were kicking in full as the battle had been joined.

"Go, go, go!" I ordered both Gard and Charity charged past me as I drew my wands out of their holsters.

The dragon started to spin back around, and as I said was incredibly fast in doing so. "Passion." She said aloud amused but to no one in particular. "Now that is something I can work with."

Because the rifle round had driven the dragon spinning to her left she was late, just an instant too late as she came back around to catch sight of Tera West's form leaping in from her right. Before the dragon could raise a defense the hybrid wolf crashed down upon the cloaked woman with her claws seeking to shred cloth and rend the flesh that lay beneath. The animalistic growl of fury Tera emitted only heightened the experience's savagery for those who watched it happen.

Had the contest between the two combatants been one solely of mass then the dragon would have barely been moved by the much smaller and leaner Tera. But when you add momentum the wolf brought to the equation and the fact the dragon was already off balance as she spun around Tera was able to successfully drive them both backwards making the pair crash to the ground in a snarling ball of rage.

Even while the instinct to kill was running strong within her, enough intellect remained to Tera to have her leap away after the initial attack rather than go toe to toe with her stronger foe at this point. She recognized that a solid blow the dragon landed on her would offer serious and perhaps fatal damage so she separated and leapt away after their joint tumble came to rest. Even so one of the dragon's arms still successfully clipped the wolf as she retreated and sent her spinning away as the cloaked woman focused upon finding her way back to her feet to face the next wave of attackers. I even felt a twinge of pain at the glancing blow she had landed on Tera and hoped not debilitating damage had been suffered.

"Rage. Excellent!" The hooded woman called out ignoring the rips left in her cloak. "That is an even better resource!"

Gard began her swing somewhere in Cleveland it seemed and by the time the axe was coming around and then down for the strike on the dragon's head the very air was literally shrieking at its passage. Something that big and intimidating as that black axe should not be capable of moving that fast, but it did and was barely a shadowy blur.

The dragon merely responded to this by widening her stance and catching the valkyrie's arms in her own, turning ever so slightly and using the built up momentum to send Gard and her axe flying back toward the Mercedes. The sound of tortured metal was just as loud as any car crash I had ever witnessed. Based up on the size of the dent she left in the car I suspect Gard might have found herself back in Cleveland had her path not been obstructed.

"Loyalty." The dragon spoke. "Lacking in passion but still useful in its own…"

SMACK!

Charity's hammer came down upon the dragon's knee causing it to buckle ever so slightly and the cloaked woman to wobble enough that her own immediate counter blow only launched my mother half as far as the one she leveled Gard with. Of the blows landed so far the one offered by Charity's hammer seemed to have caused the most pain based upon the emotions I felt emanating from our foe. Unfortunately I doubted my mother had too many more of those attacks in her as the glancing strike she took nearly staggered me as well.

"Faith and love on the other hand..." The dragon spoke. "I find them a waste of good power if you ask my opinion."

"I didn't ask your opinion bitch!." I said aloud drawing up my full power and feeding it with my own emotions. I felt the dragon smiled at me from beneath her hood.

CRACK!

Murphy's second shot went off before my spell but a flick of the woman's wrist was enough to put forth a magical shield that caused the round to ricochet away and nearly strike Tera who was just getting to her feet. "While some may consider persistence a virtue, I tend to see it merely as an excuse for continued failure. I suggest you try something new child." She spoke in response to Murphy's attack but looked directly at me.

"Fuego! Ventas Servitas!" I called forth leveling my right wand and firing a wave of flames while with my left willing a wall of air. The twin spells combined to form a rolling mass of fire that bathed the dragon in a mass of flames and momentarily caused us all to lose sight of her. But as impressive as it looked from the outside I felt no sense of emotional pain, merely one of mild amusement coming from within.

The flames and cyclone fell away from the dome of ice that surrounded the cloaked woman, all three spells ending at the same time. "That was a creative use of your master's base talents child, though of course you lack his raw power to make that truly impressive." She said as if grading me on a final homework assignment.

"I wonder, are you able to take a blow as well as he did?" She said lifting her arm to point a finger at me.

Tera came back into the battle at that moment using the upraised arm as her target, locking onto the wrist with her jaws and then using this leverage to allow all four hate filled claws to rake the side of her target. The sound of tearing cloth filled the room.

She released her bite after only an instant seeking to bound away to safety but the dragon seemed to have been ready for the hybrid's reaction and snatched the scruff of fur on the back of the wolf's neck and used it to launch her right into the nearest concrete wall.

For her part, Tera tried to spin her body to absorb the impact but there was no time as she hit with a bone crunching sound than made me wince in sympathetic pain as well. She also showed no immediate signs of returning to the fight, or for that matter even getting up.

"I said you should try something new!" The dragon laughed but it sounded more like an insulted growl as she looked at me again.

"Well how about fish?" Sweet suddenly appeared in the courtyard, standing next to the now fallen Tera and snapping her fingers in the direction of the dragon.

"Fish?" Both the cloaked woman and I spoke at the same time. I would have called jinx but suddenly the space above her began to rain tuna and cod, not illusions of tuna and cod, but the actual still living and flopping fish. It was very much like the fisherman's net being opened up and the day's catch spilling forth on top of the dragon. Yeah I guess this was one of those spells that Harry never got around to teaching me it seems.

The rain of fish lasted for maybe five second, which left a fairly substantial number of creatures flopping in the inevitable pile by the time it was over. I'm doubting the fish spell caused the dragon any real damage but then again neither had my ad hoc firestorm so who was I to criticize.

Gard was suddenly there again almost as the last fish fell swinging her axe into the center of the pile seeking to injure or destroy her opponent. My mom was likewise just now getting to her feet and picking up the hammer to join the party once more.

The pile of fish suddenly exploded outward as the dragon reemerged. At a distance of twenty feet or so I had the time to throw up a shield in front of me before getting pelted with smelt. Being a transparent shield and the fact the fist were still alive made that an interesting experience.

My mother ten feet further away had no shield and therefore the twenty pound tuna that caught her in the stomach was enough to knock her back down onto her backside once more. Tera, Murphy, and Sweet were beyond the explosive range; however Gard had been at the very epicenter when the blast of fish occurred.

I know the idea of attacking with a pile of fish seems like something dreamed up by Monty Python, but take it from me that getting hit and point blank range by a dozen or more twenty to fifty pound fish is no less damaging that being hit by the same number of twenty to fifty pound bricks. That is if you are anything less resilient than a dragon, which of course the valkyrie unfortunately was.

The combination of the chainmail, the Kevlar, and Gard's natural sheer combat created muscle shrugged off much of the force of each individual strike but still enough was left over from each one to add up to serious pain on top of the injuries she had already sustained that I had healed. The end result of a dozen of fish bricks was her axe went flying off in one direction and she the other.

The cloaked woman stood up and made a scene of brushing off her now even more tattered clothing. "Full points for a creative mind even if the attack was unconventional and caused no actual damage." She said with obvious approval in her tone and emotions.

"Then wait til ye get a load of me canned hams!" Sweet said flicking her fingers again at the woman in the now thoroughly tattered cloak.

The dragon snapped her own fingers and suddenly before the rest of us could react she and the leprechaun had swapped places; and just in time for the rain of canned hams that Sweet had called forth begin to fall on its unintended target.

"I admittedly like the creativity, but the when we reach the point of silliness we can certainly live without." Sweet's scream as the fist can landed was almost immediately muffled out by the dozens of those that followed. The pile of tin was almost as high as the pile of fish had been.

Murphy opened up with a full clip from the smaller automatic rifle and sprayed the area the dragon was now standing, keeping the line of her fire above the dragon's waist level to limit the chances of a stray round hitting the unconscious Tera slumped nearby. I noted the first two sparks jump from the wall as Karrin corrected her aim and put the next few right on target.

Maybe two or three of those struck home before the dragon snapped her fingers a second time leaving her standing amid the pile of canned hams and the leprechaun girl now bloody and unconscious lying next to the similarly battered hybrid wolf.

"The ingenuity and engineering of your species never ceases to amaze me." The dragon spoke as Murphy release the now empty clip from her gun and moved reflexively to replace it with a fresh one. The dragon paid her little notice and instead focused upon her right shoulder and upper arm, reaching with her left to yank the tattered and bullet torn sleeve away in order to inspect the oozing wounds beneath. It's unfair that the best high impact rounds Murphy had available to her only cause slow oozing wounds. Made me wish we had invested more time in seeking out the depleted uranium.

Murphy slammed the second clip in and released the bolt to chamber the first round even as she was bringing the weapon's sights to bear once more. The dragon merely raise her eyes and smiled, though made no active move to defend herself further such as tossing up a shield like I would have done in her place.

CLICK…CLACK

The noises from Murphy's gun occurred only an instant apart and while they meant nothing to me, Karrin obviously recognized the sounds for the problem it meant and tried to force the bolt back to clear the jammed round but could not get it to move freely. With all the magic flying around, not to mention the flying fish as well, it was probably not surprising that the high tech weapon had failed.

As she looked down to try and free the bolt one more time the dragon soccer kicked three of the canned hams toward Karrin. The first two struck fender and the hood of the car and glanced off but the third flew true to its intended target.

"Murphy!" I screamed making her raise her eyes in time to see the can as it struck her head and sent her sprawling to the ground. A twelve pound canned ham to the head would have certainly broken her neck or split her skull but I think the combination of my warning and her martial arts training was just enough to cause her to flinch and roll with the shot, hopefully enough to save her life, for all the good that was going to do her now that there were half of our group out of the battle.

I had pulled together more magic for my own next attack by this point and was just about to fire off another spell of my own when Margaret Dresden's voice called to me. "Molly wait." The shock of her interruption in my mind was enough to cause me to hesitate and that was just an instant long enough for Charity to find her feet and charge the dragon who was bending down to grab Gard by the neck.

"What?"

"Think it through." She spoke urgently. "You cannot beat her in a straight up fight."

"So what I should surrender to her and let her kill all of us?" I asked ready to dismiss the voice from my mind altogether.

"No." Margaret pleaded. "But you are not Harry."

"I KNOW THAT!" I screamed feeling even more helpless and weak than I had before at her accusation. "DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT? DO YOU SEE HIM HERE?"

"No Molly." She answered. "I mean going toe to toe with your enemies was never your way. Your magic is not suited to that course. You are not equipped for it."

"I did okay in Mexico." I was happy that mental conversations occur in the space of instants.

"Did you?" She asked. "Did you really? Remember!" Suddenly I was once more in the midst of all that darkness and blood with vampires coming at me from every direction. I had never been so scared in my entire life as I had been in those first few moments. And then the dying began.

As a sensitive wizard I am far more attuned to emotions and their effects than others. In fact the more powerful the emotion the more likely it is to affect me. And in the grand scheme of things there are no more power powerful emotions than at the moment of death.

I had felt deaths before after coming into my powers. The first I recall was a security guard that ended up on the wrong side of a Black Court vampire outside a shopping mall. The attack was so fast and so violent that the emotional backlash literally stunned me. Had Harry not been there that day I would have been on the menu as well.

Since then I had felt other deaths and they did not quite effect me to the same level though they were still pretty overwhelming. It's really not something you become used to, but many times you have the opportunity to prepare for it and that can make all the difference.

Then came Mexico.

The first death had been a Red Court vampire who literally chased a prisoner meant as a meal right into out camp and was dispatched for it. I handled that one okay because I watch the events unfold and I had girded myself for the idea that killing was going to be required. Unfortunately his death alerted the thousands of other Red Court vampires waiting not far away. Suddenly stealth was out the window and frontal assault was the only remaining option we had.

Harry explained his plan to me quickly and the critical role that I was to play in it. Maybe a thousand vampires were quickly descending upon us and just the level of their uncontrollable hate nearly overwhelmed my senses. I could not be distracted because Harry needed me and I was not going to let him down. I needed to become hard because that is what he needed. And hard people do not hold onto the silliness of childhood memories so with a quick spell upon myself I banished that part of myself and tuned to the task at hand; creating the illusion of the Knights of the Cross.

It worked just as Harry said it would. Hundreds of vampires were destroyed by that trick, though this was a mere fraction of their numbers arrayed against us and it our tactic bought us only a few moments of respite to plan for the next wave.

When Harry learned the next group was coming at us under veils he turned to me to solve that problem as it was my area of expertise.

"Molly?" He said looking at me in such a way as to say without words that our lives were in my hands. I knew right then that we were not going to come back from this alive if I froze up and remembering those war movies my dad used to watch I recalled how soldiers said the secret to surviving a battle was to consider yourself already dead and stop worrying about it. With another spell I dismissed by survival instinct as it was just a distraction and got down to the work Harry needed from me.

"On it boss." I replied casually.

And it worked. My magic turned all those hidden vampires into solid black outlines that the others could kill. And that they did as I recovered my strength and tried to ignore all the dying taking place around me.

After that came the negotiation phase. The Red King sent a woman, human, to deal with us and allow a truce to speak. But to do so meant that we had to continue forward into the very heart of an ancient Mayan city. And once the negotiations concluded Harry was to do battle with the one who wanted him dead, and the battle was to take place in a stadium.

You have undoubtedly heard that sometimes when people die violently they leave a small part of themselves behind at the scene. Necromancers and other sensitives can often sense these fragments because of the emotional connections are so strong. Think of it like a single flickering candle burning that some people can notice.

The problem was this was an original Mayan stadium which meant tens or hundreds of thousands had died horribly here just for sport. And after the fall of the Mayan empire the Red Court arose here and the number of deaths at this place grew exponentially over the centuries. So that single candle was like looking into the sun for someone with my powers. I tried to warn Harry, explain what this meant to me…

"Ugh." I said. "There are some pretty horrific stories about the Mayans' spectator sports boss." But even though I hoped he would sense my pain Harry remained focused on our mission. Because I felt my need to honor Harry's request was scraping against my soul I dismissed this next. I mean I was probably going to die in the next hour so what good was honor going to do me, right?

Watching Harry battle the vampire lady and finally decapitating her actually gave me a moment of hope that we were going to still get out of this alive. But then the Red King betrayed the promise he made to us and his most powerful member, the Lords of Outer Night, turned their power on us.

It was like treading water in the ocean and trying to battle the waves as they came at you. The vampires were in my mind urging us to give up, to stop fighting, that all our pain would be gone soon. And I so wanted to believe them and accept that idea. To be free of pain once and for all was something I wanted at that point. I was tired of hurting. Some philosophers say life is nothing more than pain, and that it is our way of growing. But right then I did not know if I want to grow any more.

It was these deeper thoughts that were holding me back I realized. If we were going to live I needed to get rid of these next. Philosophy is a luxury that you cannot afford in a life and death situation. I had already tossed away parts of myself that I actually liked, so there was really no problem in throwing away the deeper intellect and focusing only on the here and now. Who cares what tomorrow might bring if you can't live through today. Another spell of will and the intellect that the vampire lords were using to hold me back was suddenly gone and I was free.

"Harry!" I screamed to help give him strength but the Outer Lord I had defied turned to his jaguar warrior and ordered him to shoot me. His gun fired and I screamed. Thankfully the shield bracelet I wore deflected the round from killing me.

I could see that the others were held like I had been so I gathered magic and began to push a spell of courage out wanting to help the rest of our group resist.

"You did child." Margaret Dresden spoke in my mind. "But it would have failed for your power was too dispersed to positively affect so many. So instead I told you…"

"You had me focus on only one…"

"Yes… the only one capable of saving you at that moment."

By the time Harry reached Murphy the spell of will that I had placed upon her was beating back the Outer Lord and her defiance to his will was growing quickly. Harry's touch on her shoulder pushed her over that edge and freed her to draw forth _Fidelacchius_ to explode in a blaze of holy light which I had never before beheld.

"You saved us." I said to Margaret.

"No child. I merely gave you the insight necessary to save yourselves." She replied.

We fought them back though their numbers were overwhelming. But it was obvious that we were going to lose. Even the best wizard tires and we had been fighting four hours it seemed. I looked to Harry and saw him stumble in a way that said he was exhausted. He had no reserves left. He was running on pure adrenaline and even that was running out for him.

So there really was only one choice. Harry's strength was fading so I gave him mine. I ran up beside him and drew my wands as I cast the spell to reinvigorate him with my own remaining strength in one glorious explosion. I cast away my strength, trading it in part to go out with one glorious blast and the other part passing on to Harry when we fought back to back.

"You take that side!" I said. "I'll take this one!" He was so tired he never felt my power going in to recharge him.

By rights we should have died, and in truth my release of strength had be my final roll of the dice as I thought it. But somehow the Grey Council forces arrived to save the day and give us one more chance than we had any true right to deserve. They beat back our enemies and then sent us off to go after the Red King while they dealt with the horde of minions.

Then the stray bullet hit me. I was still in the final throws of my strength spell so did not notice as my life drained from my leg. In fact I only felt it once Harry shouted in my ear.

"Come on! Let the birdmen take it from here! We've got to move." He said not realizing that my magic, like my life, was almost gone.

But Harry still needed me. He needed whatever I had left to give which was not much. Suddenly the strength spell was gone and I felt the pain in my leg. I was falling. I had failed him. He needed me and I had failed him. He had put his life on the line for me and I had failed him.

In a moment he was kneeling on the ground beside me and I knew if he waited too long his daughter would die. He had to keep moving. He could not worry about me. I was only his apprentice. His little girl needed her father's love. The same love I knew now I could never have. So as he rested my head in his lap and looked for my injuries with my last bit of magic I tossed the last part away to. I tossed away love because if I held onto it, he might not leave my side and all of this would be for nothing. My spell was weak, and probably sounded like a gasp. But it was enough. Love fled…Darkness won out…

"Now you understand…" Margaret Dresden said in my head as all my memories burst forth.

"Yes. Now I understand." I said opening my eyes to see the cloaked woman staring at me holding my mother around the neck with one hand and Gard around the neck with the other.

"Very good child." The cloaked woman said with obvious satisfaction. "I wondered if we would ever truly get this chance to talk." She dropped the pair, both unconscious but still alive and pulled back her hood to reveal her face once and for all.

"I should have suspected it was you…" I said pausing before saying the name aloud…


	20. Chapter 20

**Life After Death**

**_Chapter 20_**

"Harry Dresden is dead." She said in her silky tones. "So of course you should have expected my arrival child."

"Leanansidhe." I finished my sentence.

"There is no reason for such formality between us child we have fought both together and against each other. That should make us family as well then." She said smiling and stepping toward me with a sense of cold motherly compassion oozing from her being. "You may call me Lea as Harry did before you. It would be a fine tribute to both of us I think if you were to do so." She said stopping just outside of arm's reach.

"So it was YOU who set this whole thing up?" I challenged her as she raised an eyebrow. "Why? Why bring harm to all these others if your real goal was just to get to me?" I waved my arm to indicate all my fallen companions so there was no confusion as to what I was speaking of.

"It was not I who chose this course child but you. Can it be truly that you still do not understand all you have accomplished?" She asked in actual shock. "Do you not realize that…"

"NOW IVY!" I screamed drawing up my magic to flash brightly in the Winter Court's handmaiden's eyes as a distraction.

Ivy who had lain quietly at my feet while all the others had battled and fallen was up in an instant releasing more raw magical power at Lea than I had felt since the spell that destroyed the Red Court in Mexico. I knew there was no way that the dragon would keep her promise to swap Little Harry nor did I have I in me to see someone who trusted me be destroyed for that.

The Faerie threw a shield up in time to defend herself from Ivy's massive blast but it was a close thing as Ivy's magic swirled around the globe she created seeking to penetrate and exert its power on the flesh protected within.

"Maintaining both a powerful reserve and biding your time to strike when your opponent seems weak is a wise tactic observed by the most successful practitioners." Lea's voice no longer muffled by the cloak spoke approvingly through the roar of raw magic. "It seems that my godson was not a complete failure as a teacher if you learned this much at least."

The power of Ivy's blast, if anything, increased at the mention of Harry's name and I added my own magic to the fray as well. But even with all we had at our disposal we could not penetrate the wards and shields that the Handmaiden of the Winter Faerie had at her disposal.

"I understand your reasons for wishing to continue to play out this fantasy for a while longer but unfortunately time is running short for us all and decisions must be made." Lea said without strain or concern as the magic pummeled her defenses. She clapped her hands three times and to her side a bound and bundled figure appeared on the ground beside her.

The shock of this appearance and what it might foretell surprised me and my magic fell away as I thought momentarily that perhaps this was Little Harry placed as a safeguard and I feared accidentally hurting him. But a moment later I realized the size of the individual was more than double and his mass a factor even greater than that.

I tried not to look, I don't know why just some instinct inside of me, but I was too late. I saw his face as he lay there and the rest came back to me like a locked closet door suddenly opening in my mind.

Ivy cried out as her own magic stumbled and faltered as well as she ran to the figure on the ground.

Harry was broken up. Not in the emotional way meaning he was crying, though in truth he was doing that too. No he was physically crushed. His back had broken as he tried to rescue innocent neighbors from his apartment building and the fire meant to kill him. And if that were not bad enough, I realized that along with his back they had broken his spirit.

I sat beside him wanting to do something, anything for him but this was one of those times when I did not have the magic, any magic that would help him. I looked immediately to use my chi healing when he had been first brought unconscious but because the wound had severed his back, there was no direct line to connect his mind's order to heal with the body's natural chi power that resided in his lower back. It taunted me like a vast gorge with the charred remains of a bridge that once offered passage.

All I could do now was clean him up with some wet wipes I had thrown in my purse days ago I think. I washed away the soot and the tears, saying nothing about either and trying to offer him what strength I could. But even in that I failed. I did not have the strength he needed as I watched him convulse and continue to cry. I wanted to tell him it would all be okay, but I could not convince myself of that.

"I've got to help her." He whispered quietly to no one in particular and certainly not me. I doubt he even knew I was there.

"Harry don't…don't twist the knife in your own wound." I said because I was the only one there to offer any support. I wanted to flee and deny what I was seeing as well. Harry could not be finished. No way. He was a force of nature. He had to get better. I mean he had to because…because…I loved him. "Right now you need to stay calm and quiet, until Butters can look at you." And then we will find a way to deal with what happens when he tells you that you will never walk again. Oh Harry why did it have to be like this?

"I wish you hadn't gotten him involved." He said to me. Not disapproving but still not happy.

"I didn't even ask him." I replied defensively. Of course the panic in my voice might have had something to do with his decision, especially since I could barely string two words together to make a coherent statement. "I got halfway through the first sentence and he asked where you were. Then said he'd come see you."

I felt Harry turn hard inside, like he just made some irrevocable decision. The tears dried up at once but he did not turn to look at me. "No I mean…" He drew a deeper breath and solidified himself even more. Now he was no longer walling off his emotions, he was walling me out too! "Kid I've got to cross a line." He said.

I froze with my hand still extended toward him not so much at the statement which his emotions were preparing me for but at what he said. He called me kid again. When he was now here at his lowest point ever and I was the one sitting beside his bed because my love would not allow me to be anywhere else he still called me kid. It was the word he used to remind himself about how different our ages were and because of this how he could never allow himself to love me. Oh Harry do not do this to me please…

"I'm not getting up off this bed alone." He said thinking to justify his course to me but not realizing I was not caring about that. "It's my only option."

I put away my feelings because that is what I had to do and instead tried to focus upon what he was saying. There were things out there that wanted Harry to join them, and not one of them was particularly nice as a potential playmate or ally much less master. And he had just made up his mind that he would do this, join them, to save the daughter that he never knew. And in doing so give up on the rest of us…on me…

"Who?" I asked quietly because I was afraid to say more than a single word.

"One is a lot like another." He tried to be cavalier for his sake as much as my own.

Bastard! "But…" What about me? I wanted to ask him but could not force the words to come out. "…but if you go over to one of them…"

"They'll make me a monster sooner or later." He said confirming the fear I already came to.

I could not look at him or he would see the accusation in my eyes. You would destroy yourself for a child you never met and leave me all alone in this world? Do all of us mean so little to you? Do I?

"I can't let that happen." He said and for a moment I had a small glimmer of hope. "For all I know, I could turn into something that would hurt Maggie myself. But maybe I can use them to get her out of danger."

His words twisted the knife even more within me. He never loved you the darker parts of my being laughed at me. You tried to walk the path of light he set for you to show him you deserved his trust and his love but you were more akin to a temporarily interesting experiment than a real person in his eyes. I tried to deny my inner darkness…I really did. I inhaled sharply and looked at him hoping there was something else in his eyes that I was missing. Something I could anchor to.

There wasn't… and the darkness laughed all that much harder. "It's got to be Mab." He said not even noting my silence as pain or thinking I merely waited on him to continue. "She's wicked smart, but she isn't omniscient or infallible. I've swindled faeries before. I can do it again."

"You're going to be the Winter Knight?" Harry please do not do this! We will find another way! I screamed inside. "What if she doesn't?" He never cared for you Molly that is why you are so easy to give up. The darkness whispered right back. "I mean, what if she won't?"

He only laughed at the thought and dismissed it, and me, without a second of consideration. "Oh, she'll do it. If I go to her, she'll do it. She's been after me long enough."

Just like me you mean Harry? Of course I could not say the words. "I don't understand." I replied. "She'll…" She'll have everything I've ever wanted from you. "She'll twist you. Change you. It's what they do."

He took my hand. The bastard actually took my hand as he was telling me all this like he did not know what the words were doing to me. God men are just emotionally retarded. "Molls…" Oh God he called me Molls…a new pet name. "Whatever happens…I'm not going to make it out of this one."

There it was. I meant nothing to him. That he could lay there and say these things to me was all the proof I needed that I did not truly matter to him. And somewhere inside of me the darkness laughed even louder. I tried to deny the darkness. I shook my head trying to wish it away. But it merely laughed at my futile attempts at denial all the louder until I could feel the tears sliding down my cheeks.

"Molly." He said patting my hand like you would a good and faithful pet. Yeah that's what I was. I was Mouse in his eyes. "Kid…for everything there is a season."

You fucking bastard! I wanted to scream at him. "Don't." I said holding it in. "Don't you dare quote the Bible at me. Not to justify this." Not to justify what you are doing to me. God can't hate me this much can he? And the darkness only asked if that question was rhetoric or if I really wanted someone to answer that?

"Bible?" He joked. "I was quoting the Byrds." See you are not even worthy of God's notice in his eyes the darkness added.

I cried so much inside at that point that I had to laugh at what Harry had reduced me to at this moment. I could not even form words to answer him. I had nothing to respond and if I did I dared not trust myself to speak them. I couldn't while Harry was broken like this.

"Look, Molls." See how easily he twists the knife some more? "Nothing lasts forever." Certainly not you in my eyes. "Nothing." Or even the promises I made to train you. "And if I've got to choose between myself and my daughter? That's not even a choice. You know that."

Oh Harry you bastard it is not a question of choosing between you and your daughter. It is a question of choosing between your daughter and all of the rest of us who need you just as much as she does. But I could feel it in his walled up emotions that he just did not understand it, nor did he want to. I bowed my head accepting what the darkness said about me and cried that much harder. You see now that you mean nothing to him? It asked me. I could not respond but merely nodded my head. I would agree to anything if it would just shut up and end the pain. It could not get any worse for me.

I was wrong.

"I need your help." Harry said to me.

I looked up wanting him to see me and understand that he was asking more from me than he had any right to. But of course he could not see me. His wall to the world was up and it had no windows.

"I'm going to arrange things. But Mab's going to be wary of me. She knows my history, and if I know what's going on, she'll be able to tell I'm lying to her. I don't have enough of a poker face for that." Really Harry I'd be more than happy to lend you mine. I mean it's not like I'm hiding what you are doing to me at this moment yet still you don't seem to realize it.

"No." I wiped away my tears instead. "You don't. You still suck at lying boss." And now you need me to make it all better for you. And not just to help you deceive Mab which is a certain death warrant for me if she finds out but also to break the very laws you swore me to take when I became your apprentice; the laws that would mean my immediate execution by the White Council, though at the moment I probably would find that a relief.

To the people who know me, maybe." He smiled at me like this was supposed to be funny on some level. "Do you understand what I am asking you to do?"

"Do you?" The words escaped this time before I could bite them back. "Have you thought of what it's going to mean for me once…once you're…" Harry please do not do this. Don't ask this of me. Not me. Not the one person who loves you and is not afraid to admit it.

"Dead." He finished softly. "I think Ebenezar or Injun Joe will take over for me, continue your training. They both know how strong I felt about sheltering you from the Council's judgment."

The darkness howled in laughter. I had thrown the dice one last time gambling all that I was to make him understand. And I had failed. He thought all I cared about was training and the Council. Dumbass! I shook my head slightly. "That's not what I meant." I whispered now that the spilt milk had covered the chips where they lay or whatever the hell those were supposed to mean. I could care less at that moment.

"Oh." That was all he said in response to my feelings. Two letters. That was all I rated.

It took another moment of awkward silence before he could draw upon more to say and patted my hand again. I was the ever faithful dog he still needed for companionship I guess. "I'm sorry. That I wasn't here longer. That it couldn't be more than it was."

Oh God the pain. He had torn out my heart and now he was looking to me to absolve him of these sins and tell him it was going to be okay? He was going to arrange to die and needed me to lie to him to tell him everything was going to be alright. He wanted no guilt going into the hereafter. And of course I loved him so I honored that request.

"You never did anything wrong by me, Harry." I said steeling myself because I am a much better liar than he is as I looked him in the eyes. It's a great thing that you cannot soulgaze the same person twice or he would have seen the truth in an instant. "This isn't about me, though, is it?" It never was about you Molly the darkness laughed. "It's about Maggie." A child you never met that you cannot be certain is even yours because all you know about her comes from her mother who has lied to you in the past and left you when you told her you loved her; just like you are doing to me. And even all that is more important to you than I am. It was too much at that point so I joined the darkness in its laughter because I had nothing else to hold onto. "So of course I will help you."

He kissed my fingers. "You are one hell of a woman, Molly." He said with a smile. "Thank you."

I wanted to pull away but I could not. My love for him held me there in place. "How do you want to do it?"

He explained it just as I imagined what he was asking of me. He would arrange a call to have him killed and I was to take away his memory of it so that Mab would not learn of it when he made his deal with her. The only one who would know is me and whoever he arranged to kill him. Nice to know that this company is how I rated.

"You realize that I could change this Harry." I said making sure he understood it would be just as easy for me to prevent him from killing himself than to go through with what he wanted. That if I were as selfish I could stop him in his tracks. "I could find out who you were using to kill yourself. I could take it right out of your head and call them off. You would never know." See Harry, I am capable of becoming the very evil that you made me promise not to ever be, all because you are asking me to step over the line you made me draw for you. And you don't even know that to remove your memory I will see what you have planned all for myself anyway. That is the only way to ensure that I got it all and patched up the holes I left behind.

"You could do that." He agreed. "And I feel like an utter bastard for asking this of you grasshopper. But I do not have anyone else to ask." I had a dozen liquid fire responses to that, but he had cast his own die and now I just had to let him make his move.

"You should call Thomas." I whispered. "He deserves the truth."

"No." He replied. "Tell him later if you want. After. If you tell him before that, he won't stand for it. He'll try to stop it." Grasshopper, do you mind if I ask you to also make everyone else hate you too if it's not too much? It's not enough that I am forcing you to do help me commit suicide and defy your faith because you love me but I need to also put this event between you and everyone else who will grieve for me when I'm gone so you can truly be all alone. But you will do this for me right Molls? Why that nickname now?

"You never called me Molls before today." I said.

"Was saving it." He smiled at me. "For when you weren't my apprentice anymore. Wanted to try it out." Not because I see you as a woman, or a wizard, or anything remotely on the scale of equal Molly, but because I did not want to die without having this little joy as well. I could not respond except to smile another lie his way and shed a last tear before leaving.

And then after that I did what he asked of me. I removed the memory. I ignored the pictures that I felt in my mind of him and Queen Mab consummating their relationship as her new Winter Knight and turned to other things such as preparing for Mexico. And all the while the only two who knew what was to come were me and…

"KINCAID!" Ivy shook him again as I came out of my memories. I swayed on my feet and found myself under Lea's piercing gaze. No one else moved. They all seemed frozen in time.

"Very good!" She smiled approvingly as if she intended to dine upon my soul. "We make progress it seems…"

"Allowing me to remember that I…"

"Do not say it aloud!" She commanded. "There are those who seek that knowledge and ones like my queen who would pay well for it, and pay you well for your role."

"Let her." I said exhausted. "I am so broken and hurting that I doubt there is anything more that she could do to me."

"Then you are a foolish child, and much like Harry was when he made his pact." Lea replied without meaning that as a compliment. "She knows of means to make your current suffering seem nothing more than an emotional pinprick. And to keep others from daring to defy her like this in the future she would be obliged to wreak this havoc upon you for all to see."

"I do not care." I said. "I have nothing left to take but my life, and that would be a mercy."

Lea stopped and cocked her head at me. "Will you answer a question I still have?" The Winter Faerie asked in the most humble tone that I had ever heard from one of her kind.

"Why not?" I answered.

"Oh I can think of many reasons not the least of which is gifting a Faerie without agreeing upon equal payment beforehand is a reckless pursuit, but in this case I will offer you closure on a subject dear to you just as your answer provides me mine." She said satisfied. I had to admit it was true. Agreeing to a Faerie's request without defined payment was a great way to end up in even more serious trouble. But she had gone against her nature and literally lifted my foot out of that trap. That alone was worth agreeing to her request.

"What is your question?"

"In Mexico, after all he had done and made you do, you still gave Harry more every time he asked it of you." Lea said with a lack of understanding in her tone. "I watched you strip away parts of yourself…"

"You saw that?"

"Indeed." She answer, not annoyed at all that I had interrupted her. "Never have I ever seen the like of someone tear strips of themselves from whole cloth with such reckless abandon."

"Wow I guess I should feel special." I quipped.

"Perhaps." Lea said considering. "Why did you do it? Why destroy yourself for him after you already knew it could only end badly for him…and for you as well?"

I looked at the Handmaiden of the Winter Court and wondered if she could truly be as naïve about things as she thought I was? She was nigh on immortal and yet did not understand _this_? I actually laughed out loud before answering her.

"Love." I said simply.

She looked at me strangely as if expecting more but really that is all there was. And after a few moments she realized it as well and set to considering it. If you have ever seen that last part of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, the cartoon not the movie, when the Grinch is talking to the dog and wondering why all the villagers are not crying because their presents are gone then you have a pretty good idea of the internal monologue I felt going on within the Leanansidhe at that moment.

I had to stop myself from saying out loud "It came without ribbon, it came without tags, it came without packages, boxes, or bags…"

And like the Grinch after a long pause of silence her eyes actually widened as if she somehow glimpsed the true heart of what I was speaking of. I expected a second follow up question, because if you are only starting to understand love I was pretty sure one question was not going to do it. But she surprised me and either figured it out on her own, or more likely put it to the side afraid to fully consider the ramifications of the particular can of worms she had opened.

"Very well then now I will pay you back in like kind." She said and before I could move she slammed me with a blast of magical electricity, cold of course, that kept me unable to move and do anything more than chatter my teeth. I tried to find will to resist but there was nothing there. I had spent it all to reach this time and place.

"You were correct child that you did indeed tear away parts of yourself as required in Mexico, but you were wrong about what that did to you." She said walking around my still form and looking upon me with a calculating eye. You have made rags of yourself child, but lucky for you I happen to be an exceptional seamstress.

"From my memory of events I believe the first thing you surrendered in Mexico was your childhood memories and dreams." She said reaching a finder forward and poking my side, or at least she would have except instead her finger sank right inside of me like passing through a ghost. Which one of us was the ghost though I dared not consider.

"Thankfully for you I was near and as you tossed away each rag I found a way to keep them close all the same." She said.

She turned her head away from me and over to the wall where with a flicker of her fingers she lifted the unconscious form of Sweet up and carried her over toward the two of us. "Your self deception was very strong to allow you not to realize that those who came to your aid were merely parts of yourself that you had cast off. Did it not seem odd to you that with all of Harry's acquaintances that only the females were the ones to offer help?"

Huh? I wanted to say this but my teeth were still chattering as he containment spell kept me locked in place. She must have sensed my confusion for she answered me all the same.

"Let me reintroduce you to your childhood innocence." Lea said grasping the leprechaun around the neck and driving her body into my own.

I wanted to scream, to dodge, to do anything but I could not. And more surprisingly still was that I felt nothing as Sweet's body was forced into mine…literally _into_ mine. Once the body had disappeared within my own and Lea withdrew her hand I felt a sudden even stronger jolt that made me convulse and would have caused me to collapsed had her magic not kept me standing where I was.

For her part, Lea merely licked her fingertips as if relishing the taste lingering upon them. "You were truly a remarkable child Molly. I regret that we did not begin our introductions years ago."

After a few moments my body returned to its mere painful existence though the spell that held me did not relax. Lea looked upon her handiwork with a smile. "Not a bad patch job if I say so myself. How does it feel to you?" She asked.

"Nnnnaaa…nnaaa…" Was all I could get out through my chattering teeth in way of a response.

"Ah how sloppy of me." She said with a frown and placed her hands atop my head and literally pushed the magical field down past my face and neck, leaving it entrapping my body from the shoulders downward. "As I was saying how does that…"

"AAAAAARRRGGGGG!" My scream of pain burst forth unbidden and only died out when I ran out of breath.

"Hmmm, I think you are being over critical." Lea said disapprovingly. "Besides it was not I who tore you apart. You cannot expect to be made whole and seamless from a pile of rags without a little bit of added pain now do you?"

Before I could respond she pointed toward Tera's battered body as well and summoned it to her as she had Sweet. "I believe you called this your survival instinct?" She said holding her around the neck and assessing it like an art critic before beginning to push it toward me.

"No wait!" I screamed.

"I fear we do not have the time." Leanansidhe replied and drove the hybrid's body into my own as she had the leprechaun. This time I was able to scream as my body was rocked with convulsions once more.

And while I tried to resist the process continued again and again. The honor I had given up was Murphy. The deeper intellect was Ivy. My strength was Gard. And my love, the last thing I tried to give up, was Charity. Each one was not so much a person but rather a part of me, torn way and discarded, but given a living identity by the Faerie. And now she had gathered them all together and restored them to me. I was a ragged tapestry of what I had once been, but I was whole once more.

She released the spell that held me and I fell to the ground too weak and pained to even scream. "You created all of these events just to restore me?" I asked confused by what I had experienced. The Mercedes, Kincaid, and even the prison all began to fade from existence.

"I did not create this child. You did." She replied. "I merely played the role that you created for me and worked in the background as you collected the parts of yourself once more."

"But..." I tried to speak as we both faded more.

"No time for that child." She said. "A decision must be made." And then there was nothing but light and shadow.

I awoke in the hospital bed, my leg still in a cast and IV tubes running into my arm. I turned my head and found Lea sitting in a chair by my side calmly knitting a winter sweater with a snowflake on the center.

"Welcome back child." She said putting the knitting down on her lap and giving me her undivided attention.

"Why did you do this?" I asked as all of what I had experienced came rushing back to me.

"I was sworn to out of a sense of duty and a sense of justice." She said. "You were the apprentice of my godson, therefore when he died it fell to me to take up that mantle."

"To train me?" I asked.

"Perhaps." She replied. "Or to kill you and save you further agony. Either one are the acceptable roles for a master to take."

"Then why go to all the trouble of restoring me if you only are going to kill me?" I asked.

"Because to be fair to my duty to Harry I must render that judgment of life or death upon all of you and not merely the shade you made of yourself through your noble, but foolish, sacrifice."

"How is that justice?" I asked.

"No the justice I spoke of relates to something else entirely." She said looking seriously at me. "Do you still remember the events as Harry lay paralyzed and what he asked of you?" She said.

"How could I forget."

"You have found a way once." She smiled knowingly. "Where mortals are concerned it is always best to assume they have found a means to delude themselves whenever possible. By following such advice you are less likely to be disappointed."

"Get on with it."

She did not seem at all upset by my brisk response and instead merely laughed. "Well as you talked to Harry did you sense anyone else?" She asked me in all seriousness. "Did you sense something dark?"

I thought about the darkness that had laughed at me. Could she mean this? "I only felt the dark fears within me that Harry did not love me or that I was not worthy of being loved."

"Then it is as we suspected." She nodded in approval of my answer. "Know now that those thoughts were not within you, but rather they were fostered from without and whispered in your ear, just as we believe that this same being whispered darkness in Harry's ear as well making him select this destructive course of action."

"There was no one else there." I shook my head in denial.

"Are you sure child?" She asked. "Did you search the room at any point or merely assuming such because you remember no one else much like you might remove another's memory of your presence?"

"I…" Could she be right? "I do not know." I admitted and she shook her head in agreement.

"Others are looking into that possibility so you need not concern yourself." She said with a smile. "Instead we must turn our attention now to the question left before us."

"Which is?"

"If you are to live or die child, of course."

"You are assuming I care."

"Ah, Harry surrendered his responsibility so now you feel free to do the same is that it?" She asked making me angry. "It is sad the lessons he chose to instill upon you."

"Shut up!" I lashed out. "He taught me…"

"Very little child." She interrupted. "He taught you little enough to survive beyond a few tricks of magic. Instead like other before you he bound you into chains. Chains of responsibility to him and others. Chains to control the powers you have inside of you. Chains to keep you weak. And do you know why he did that?"

"He didn't…"

"He did that so that your mind and body would have the time to grow and control the power within you rather than it controlling you." She answered her own question. "It was as wise a course as it was foolhardy for he did give you the skills to learn to control your power, but he took from you your free will to decide upon how to use it. He left you dependent upon his guidance and approval. And now he is…"

"Dead." I said accepting and finishing her sentence for her.

"Indeed."

We sat silently for a moment as she let me contemplate what she was saying. I wanted to deny it, but it was true. Harry had placed restrictions on me, chains if you will, just as my mother had when she learned of my powers. The only difference was that Harry's chains came along with a standing death sentence wrapped in silk made from my love so I never felt as restricted by them and fought back as I did with my mother's.

"So what do you want to know?" I finally broke the silence.

"Merely if you are ready to step up and accept who and what you are?" She replied. "If so I am willing to continue your training and in the process perhaps help save this city that is under siege but does not yet know it. If not, if you decide to continue to wear your chains, then I will offer you the mercy of a quick death."

"Not much of a choice is it?"

"No. But more than many are allowed."

"And the secrets I hold?" I asked.

"Are yours to keep." She replied. "They serve me better if no one else learns of them."

"And my friends?"

"Likewise are yours to keep." She answered. "Perhaps you might even keep one or two of them alive."

"Is it really that bad out there?"

"It is the gather storm child." She replied. "I know storms and this one will be bad."

I lay there unable to move, thinking how alike I was to Harry as he was looking for my help. He had made a decision to do what he thought was right for others. Could I do any less?

"You restored me." I started.

"I patched together rags in the shape of a young lady." She interrupted. "But it is you who must decide what the picture of that lady means to others around her."

"A Rag Lady?"

"Indeed."

I thought for a few moments more. "Then I guess I am your new apprentice…"

_And so it ends… _

_A little over a year ago The Carpenter Blueprints started out as a challenge, and of course it's now a trilogy. Nearly 36,000 hits, probably not as good as Harry Potter takes a Dump or Twilight 27…the Vampire and the Girl spend another six hours staring at each other stories in FanFiction but hey I'm fairly proud of this as an accomplishment._

_So to answer questions… Will there be another Carpenter Blueprint? Maybe. I promised myself I was going to finish this one this year and then turn my efforts toward inventing my own world and characters so I need to do that. On the other hand since I caught up to Jim Butcher I sort of need to also let him put out another book to decide if there is something for Molly that needs to be told in between anyway._

_Why did this one take so long to finish? - Well I started it with the thought to bring it along and catch up to Ghost Story. We all were left in Changes with Harry being dead and a tease of a story how Murphy and Will had to fight interlopers coming into the city…but little was said about Molly. So that question needed to be answered and obviously she was not going to go gentle into that good night… So I started down a path trying of her stepping up yet still leaving things as vague as possible to align to Ghost Story… (And then Jim delayed putting it out!)_

_And then Ghost Story came out and really screwed with the world. And this made me stop and reconsider where I was going. I knew I wanted Molly caught up, but the Rag Lady thing for me was not what I expected so I had to adjust._

_On the other hand I found it incredibly interesting how much of my other stories fit so well into Ghost Story. For example having Daniel suddenly become a significant character seemed way too cool since I had just expanded his role in Book 2. (If Jim reads these stories and decided to incorporate that I offer my complete thanks for the honor… if it's a coincidence…well it's still pretty cool.)_

_Okay, so having to readjust the plot a bit, more like tweak, took some time and then I also started my MBA and those classes do take away quite a bit of my free time as well._

_In the end is this the book I envisioned? No..and yes. It went its own way as I wrote it, which for me is normal. When I start to write I have vague ideas of the major highlights and the stories pretty much come out as I try to get from one to another. I do not know if this is normal for writers or signs of mental illness, but hey it makes writing them as fun an exploration as reading them. But it was the story of how Molly handled Harry's death which is what I intended to tell from the beginning._

_BTW…Anyone who tells you they knew the dragon was Lea from the very start is full of…yeah something… since I the author did not know that until later._

_For the Conspiracy Theorists among my readers, if there are any, YES there was a hidden message in this story. If you piece all the dream sequences together you walk through the Eagle's song Hotel California. Why? I don't know. It was something I put in at the start since I had this whole classic rock theme going and in part to see if I could do it. None of the reviews ever seemed to catch that but kudos to you if you did._

_Any Last Thoughts – Hmmmm… Really just three. _

_First there is my eternal thanks to my muse without who (and the cattle prod) these stories would never have made it to paper (electrons)._

_And then next to those of you who took the time to read them. In the grand scheme of things I count myself fortunate if at the end of the journey you do not consider reading them time wasted. You paid no money so had no obligations to finish them. But still many of you did… (Did I mention 36,000 hits?). Of that I am exceedingly grateful. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me…_

_Last…no I never got that multi-million dollar publishing deal…hence the MBA… However, if the fates align and someday I am published and signing books those of you who catch on its me and mention 'The Carpenter Blueprints' when looking for a signature will have to get something… I spend time thinking that one over._

_Best to you all. – Especially to you Mr. Butcher for this wonderful world of yours._

_Keep writing everyone!_

_Thomas A_


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